I have written to the Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to intervene urgently to ensure that Malvern Clinic in east Johannesburg has a reliable water supply as they have been without water for six weeks.
Yesterday (Monday, 7 July), I visited the clinic with DA ward councillor Neuren Pietersen. It is an overcrowded clinic in cramped premises that are in poor condition.
We saw broken lights, holes in the ceiling, tiny offices, chairs crammed in corridors, and an overall dingy environment. The toilets are in poor condition, and they are locked as there is no water to flush them.
See photos here, here, here, and here.
According to a recent Environmental Health inspection, the building is not compliant with Occupational Health and Safety legislation.
Their current crisis is the lack of piped water for six weeks due to local supply disruptions. They have a water tank, but they need to use buckets to access it, and it is not safe to drink. There is an infection risk as they are unable to wash their hands under running water. Urine tests and stool samples cannot be done.
If patients need the toilet, including those with diarrhoea, they are told to go home or go to the nearby McDonalds restaurant or a local garage. The clinic also closes two hours early, at 2pm rather than 4pm.
This clinic falls under the Johannesburg Metro Council and sees 5000 patients a month. It is appalling that the council has not acted to ensure a proper water supply and fix the poor infrastructure and safety issues.
The existing water tank needs to be placed on a concrete base and connected with a pump to the pipes. This will not be expensive and should be done urgently (see photo and video here and here).
Meanwhile, Clr Pietersen is following up the complaint lodged with Joburg Water as to why the clinic is affected so badly by water supply problems in the area. He will also request an inspection by the Council’s Section 79 Health Oversight Committee.
I have written to the MEC for Health as Johannesburg Council has failed in its duty to provide a decent primary health facility to serve people in Malvern and surrounding areas.
The DA will push for all clinics to be water resilient as hygiene is a critical issue in health facilities.