WHILE the lack of crucial medical supplies remains crucial through out the city, a local ward councillor has weighed in on the matter.
Newly elected Ward 34 councillor, Bobby Maharajh said the crisis was deepening in his ward’s clinics, Redhill and Firwood Road.
In addition to running without crucial medical supplies such as surgical gloves, insulin needles, syringes and lancets Maharajh said the Firwood Road Clinic had been running without blood pressure and a blood sugar machines for over a year.
When he inquired about the broken machines with the staff at the clinic he was told the ‘procurement process was lengthy’.
“Since I have been elected into the ward I have been receiving complaints about the clinic. I have essentially collected a shopping list of issues, so we have opted to form the committee to tackle the issues. It is unacceptable that people are allowed to suffer,” he said.
Maharajh recently formed a clinic committee to deal with the issues at the clinic, which serves on average 150 patients on a daily basis. Their first project was to replace the broken equipment. “We went around and made appeals, eventually we were able to secure a donation from a local pharmacy who is happy to give us both machines,” he said.
City responds to the shortage
eThekwini Head of Communications, Tozi Mthethwa said they are aware of the shortages and currently in the process of addressing the matter through the Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes.
“The acquisition of the gloves, lancets and insulin syringes is currently in the final stages. Further to this, management engaged the Provincial Department of Health and received a consignment of gloves that were delivered to all affected clinics. Insulin syringes will also be delivered to all clinics soon,” said Mthethwa .
