POLOKWANE – This comes as residents in the area questioned why they have to visit clinics such as Rethabile or Buite Clinic when the Seshego Hospital is full, if there is a clinic in the area that can assist.
Shikwambana explained that there was a contractor, appointed by the Polokwane Municipality to renovate and improve the building’s infrastructure. A resident, Lerato Mabuza, told BONUS that the clinic in Chris Hani Street hasn’t been operational for a while now nor is the gateway clinic inside the hospital’s premises. “We want to know whether they are operating or not because there are times when it is open and other times, not,” she said.
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A few months ago, residents in the area, led by Ward 13 Seshego Zone 1 Caucus Meeting Spokesperson and Public Representative Councillor for the EFF, Mashapa Sesera, hosted a clean-up operation and established a youth centre. “These operations have been done without the Department of Health’s presence as they have been keeping us waiting for a very long time. The department is well aware that we, as the community, have been cleaning the clinic since 2017, but nothing has been done. It’s time they do their part and assist us in picking up where we left off,” Sesera said.
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He added that the sooner the clinic is up and running, the sooner residents can have access to healthcare services. “The basins and toilets inside the clinic are in a state of disrepair. We believe that when the clinic eventually re-opens, residents will no longer need to travel to Seshego Hospital to wait in queues for medical assistance, which will help residents get assistance faster as the clinic will also help to make the queues at the hospital shorter,” Sesera said.
He added the clinic is in a state of disrepair and neglect and if the community did not stand up and work together for what will benefit them, it would only delay the process. Shikwambana added that the gateway clinic at the Seshego Hospital is in operation and that its purpose is to assist people who live in the area. “The reason why we implemented a clinic inside the premises, is because some people might come to the hospital requesting primary healthcare, but instead of the hospital staff turning them away, they could then refer them to the gateway clinic at the hospital gate,” Shikwambana said.
