Jana-Mari Smith
28 November 2011
THE Grootfontein clinic, situated in the informal settlement, was closed for a day last week after a staff member called in sick.
According to several public complaints, the clinic was unable to function in the afternoon because the admissions clerk had been booked off sick until December.
“I was sick. I came there but was told there is no one who could help me. I was told to go to the State hospital,” a disgruntled resident said yesterday.
He said he waited until the doors closed at four in the hope that a nurse could help. He didn’t want to go to the State hospital because “there you wait even longer”.
According to the chief nurse in charge at the clinic, “The people were not turned away; they were told to go to the hospital because we did not have a clerk that day.”
She added that on Thursday mornings the clinic does ante-natal care and that afternoon the nurses were still caring for pregnant women. There were no free staff available to “give out cards and to register people”.
But a member of the public said a lack of staff and organisation is to blame.
“They don’t have any replacement staff available. If one person is off sick, the system falls apart. Many were sent home or to the big hospital. The community was very angry.”
A replacement was finally found and operations returned to normal a week ago.
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