Patients at Dr Ivan Toms Clinic in Mfuleni, Cape Town, were left afraid and desperate after being told by a nurse to go away if they were not satisfied with her service.
Khanyisile Maqulwana, 39, arrived at the clinic at 7 am hoping to be attended to before 10 am, but by 2.30 pm, she was still waiting for assistance.
When she and other patients asked the nurse if they would receive any help that day, she allegedly told them to write a letter of complaint to her boss or go to another clinic.
“I woke up very early so that I could be amongst patients who were going to be assisted,” said Maqulwana.
Nokhwezi Futhuse, 40, told Scrolla.Africa how rude the nurse was towards them and how she treated them as if she was only there to pick up a paycheck and not to help the sick.
“The way she treated us shows that she’s there for the money, not the love she has for the job,” she said.
“How can we go to other clinics when we have one close to us? The department needs to take a look at this. It is their job and when they take the oath, they know what they are getting themselves into.”
Another patient, 48-year-old Siphiwo Mqikela, said he was at the clinic to collect medication.
“I arrived at the clinic at 9 am and I was not assisted until 2 pm. It was only after we confronted the nurse that she told us to go to other clinics if we were not satisfied with her service,” Mqikela said.
The Department of Health’s Patricia van der Roos said that based on demand, clinics could face challenges to treat all the clients who present on any given day.
“When this happens, clinics use a deferral process to prioritise emergency and urgent cases. Other patients are given a deferral notice to return the next day for assistance,” she said.
The facility manager notifies the Head of Personal Primary Healthcare, who reviews staff distribution across all clinics to identify how staff can be moved to alleviate the demand.
Pictured above: Dr Ivan Toms Clinic in Mfuleni, Cape Town
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
