Note to editors: Please find attached soundbite by Dr Jack Bloom MPL.
I was stopped this morning by so-called community activists who asked for my ID as I visited the Orchards Clinic in east Johannesburg.
DA Ward Councillor Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku and DA Johannesburg Shadow Health MMC, Cllr Beverley Jacobs were also stopped as we did our oversight visit after complaints that a group who call themselves “Members of the Community” were barring non-South African citizens.
This is an outrageous infringement of human rights, and especially so for sick people who can die if they do not get urgent treatment.
See photos here and here, and videos here and here.
We spoke to Sister May, Clinic Manager, who told us this group have been intimidating visitors since last week. She has called in the police, but they have been ineffective in stopping them.
Instead of seeing about 150 patients a day, the number has dropped as low as 50 patients. We saw a largely empty clinic on our visit.
I called Mr Lesiba Malotana, Gauteng Health Department Head, and asked why the clinic security guards were not assisting patients to enter the clinic. He said they should be doing this, and he was also trying to get the Crime Wardens deployed to assist as well.
Cllr Kayser-Echeozonjoku has previously called for Crime Wardens at this clinic, and she wrote a letter in March this year to Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to address complaints about the clinic.
Following my intervention with Mr Malotana, I opened the clinic gate myself and a security guard was stationed there, which hopefully ensures free access for all patients.
Groups like Dudula and March and March are increasingly controlling access to various hospitals and clinics. This is unlawful and needs to be stopped by using local security guards, crime wardens and police.
Disruption of clinic programmes will have severe effects on community health as communicable diseases do not differentiate between citizens and non-citizens.
We could have a severe measles outbreak if the current measles vaccination campaign does not reach all young children.
A DA-run administration would ensure adequate staffing and shorter queues for all patients.