Charged R120 at hospital
Pensioners claim that if they do not have their South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards as proof that they receive a social grant, they are expected to pay R120 for their visit to the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital.
POLOKWANE – Pensioners claim that if they do not have their South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards as proof that they receive a social grant, they are expected to pay R120 for their visit to the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital.
According to pensioners who spoke to Review on condition of anonymity as they fear being victimised, their ID’s were not enough proof that they were pensioners.
A 75 year old man who recently visited the hospital’s oncology ward said: “I was referred to the hospital by Rethabile Clinic. At the clinic I never paid for any services and I only needed my ID and clinic card whenever I visited the clinic. When I arrived at the hospital they asked for my ID and Sassa card. I explained that I did not have my Sassa card with me, only my ID and I was told by the admin clerk that I had to pay R120 because I did not have my Sassa card as proof that I am a pensioner.
“Luckily for me, my daughter was with me and she paid for me, because I did not have the money and I desperately had to see a doctor, because I already waited five months for this appointment at the hospital,” the elderly man said.
Another patient aged 69 years said aside from them having to pay at a government hospital for basic healthcare, there were also no files at the hospital.
“We are issued used files. According to the admin clerks there are no files and they have to reuse old files by scratching out the previous patient’s details and putting the new patient’s details above that.
“The hospital also does not have hospital cards and patients’ are given a piece of paper with a handwritten file number that they must keep as a hospital card,” the patient explained.
Some of the hospital personnel confirmed the patients’ complaints. “Patients also have to wait long in the queues to be helped because our printers are broken and patients’ information must be handwritten. The hospital also doesn’t have any stationary and there is no certainty as to when we will get stationary,” one of the employees, who also wished to remain anonymous said.
By the time of going to print, health spokesperson, Macks Lesufi, had not responded to Review’s numerous requests for comment in this regard.
