It is with great disappointment that I write this letter to the editor about the treatment of patients at Crown Gardens Clinic.
Patients get up early in the morning and arrive at the clinic at 7am in order to be one of the first people in the queue for access to health care.
Those of us who can’t afford private health care rely heavily on public health facilities.
It angered me when an elderly Afrikaans speaking man, also a chronic patient, was left sitting for hours in the wrong queue with no file.
Clinic staff know this man very well. They greeted him and made small talk but not a single official asked him why he hadn’t received any assistance.
It was only after other patients complained on his behalf, that the man was given his file and directed to the right queue. No apology was made to the elderly patient.
The queuing system (or lack thereof) at the blood testing station is terrible.
The nurse at the blood testing station has clearly forgotten what Batho Pele is all about. She addresses patients with disrespect and is very quick to close her testing booth after lunchtime even though the clinic closes at 4pm.
One would think testing and knowing your status would be championed by the clinic but not this nurse.
Patients also deserve the respect they give nurses.
Zesuliwe Hadebe
Comment received:
The operation manager, Mduduzi Mchunu was contacted for a response. He said the matter was resolved with Zesuliwe Hadebe and will not correspond unless his employers ask him to do so.
