eMbalenhle elderly clinic might be shut down
The conditions at this clinic are appalling. The wendy house is deteriorating, there is no shelter from the weather for the old people who queue for help and criminals holed up in the Sijongile Ndamase Hall are a threat to the aged.
The eMbalenhle Langverwaght Clinic for the elderly next to Sijongile Ndamase might be closed if a new clinic sister is not employed or found by the Department of Health.
Sister Nomcebo Masilela, the Govan Mbeki sub-district clinics manager, told the Zimeleni Disabled Association members that the clinic sister retired last year and the clinic was left without a manager.
“It was only left with junior staff, which is against the health department’s policy. We deployed a mobile clinic for the elderly that is coming on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
She said the reason for the alternate days is that farming communities must also be accommodated.
The wendy house that is currently used as a clinic for the elderly is deteriorating. Masilela said the elderly who seek services from this clinic will attest to its poor conditions.
“The aged always have to queue outside regardless of the weather. It is also dangerous for them because of drug addicts and criminals that stay at the Sijongile Ndamase Hall. One granny was saved by the grace of God when addicts tried to rob her last year.
“The Govan Mbeki Municipality told us that they want to fence that hall and we hope that will minimise the danger. I hope the criminals will not be able to jump over the fence to the clinic. Our staff also works in fear,” said Masilela.
She said the Langverwaght Clinic is not on the health department’s plan to be refurbished and the inspectors declared it to be dangerous.
Masilela said the community does not want the clinic to be shut down, but they need to take into consideration the department’s policy that clinics must not be built less than 5km from each other.
She said the nearest clinic after Langverwaght is in Ext 4.
Regardless of what Masilela told Zimeleni Disabled Association members about the clinic, community development workers, clinic committees and other stakeholders want the elderly clinic to be refurbished as they believed that the elderly people must not form part of the other already congested eMbalenhle clinics.
They are currently engaging private companies to assist in rebuilding the elderly clinic.
