Patients suffer waiting for medicine
Several patients at the Springs Clinic have complained about not receiving their chronic medication on time.
Presidentia resident Tokkie Meyer (70) claims there has been a shortage of certain chronic medication at the clinic for the past six months.
According to him, he recently visited the clinic for his blood pressure and water tablets but there was nothing in stock.
When Meyer asked whether they had any generic medication available to replace his prescribed medicine, he says the clinic sister informed him she had no idea what generic medication is.
“I refused to leave the clinic as I need to take my medicine daily and cannot skip one day,” he says.
When he refused to leave, he says the sister on duty called the security who threatened to “throw him out”.
A local pharmacist confirmed that chronic medication needs to be taken on a daily basis,
“That’s why it’s chronic medicine,” he says.
He adds that if certain chronic medication is not taken on a daily basis, it will have a negative impact on a person’s health.
“It will be detrimental for people with asthma, epilepsy, heart problems and cancer, not to take their chronic medication regularly,” he says.
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality spokesman, Themba Gadebe, says the clinic staff informed the people waiting for chronic medication that the clinic was waiting for medication to be delivered.
“Neighbouring clinics had limited buffer stock and couldn’t assist them on the day,” he says.
He emphasises that the medication is issued per script and there is limited buffer stock that is issued to clients who may be visiting the clinic for the first time.
Clients with prescriptions from doctors and those referred to the clinic from hospitals are issued with medication from the buffer stock whilst the personal script is submitted to the medicine depot for subsequent treatment.
The medicine depot distributes medication to all the facilities according to the scripts orders and, in return, the depot relies on the delivery of medication from the suppliers.
“The medicine depot distributes medication according to the ordering days and also depending on the stock available at the depot,” he concludes.
