POLOKWANE – “There are days where our healthcare workers get overwhelmed. No two days are the same, however we are working on improving our turnaround time,”
These are the words of the spokesperson for the Department of Health, Neil Shikwambana who responded to complaints of the ‘sluggish pace of the Covid-19 vaccination’ process at the Seshego Hospital.
Pensioners criticised the nurses and the Department of Health for the poor handling of the registration process, long queues at vaccination stations and alleged bribing of officials to skip lines.
[WATCH] Long queues, ‘sluggish’ service at Seshego Hospital
BONUS was approached by pensioner, Maropeng Maimela. She had a very bad experience when she went to get her Pfizer jab on July 8, and was treated just as bad during her second vaccination last Thursday.
“When I came for my first jab last month, I arrived at 07:30 and was only assisted at 12:00. I was hungry, I wanted water and as an old person I frequently need to go to the bathroom. For the nurses to keep us out here for so long is not right. I’m here for my second vaccination and it’s unfortunately the same story,” Maropeng said. Another pensioner, Nthabiseng Mamabolo, said she had to wait for hours after she had been given a registration form and told to wait for a few minutes only.
“This is a nightmare for all of us old people. We expect nurses to help us quickly so we can go home. We cannot sit for hours on these chairs. It is hard for us who have to walk to the hospital, it is straining,” she said. She further alleged that nurses ignore patients and only assist them once they are done eating. “We understand that nurses need to eat, but why can’t they work in shifts to help the process run smoother. All we’re asking for is proper service,” Nthabiseng said.
When BONUS surveyed the hospital grounds, medical waste and used hospital sheets were seen strewn on the ground.
Shikwambana said the department always works hard to reduce the turnaround time that patients spend at the hospital, so they are able release the elderly in time. He encouraged patients to lay formal complaints with the hospital for them to be dealt with on a case basis. “Healthcare workers have a responsibility to treat their patients with care and dignity and this is what we remind them of from time to time. If they don’t stick to that we have a responsibility to act but this can only happen if we have complaints which are thoroughly investigated,” he concluded.
