By BAKANG MOKOTO
Situation at Dryharts clinic in Taung leaves more to be desired, the Democratic Alliance said in a statement. The DA provincial spokesperson on Health and Social Development, Gavin Edwards said he was dismayed at the appalling condition of the clinic.
“The facility does not only lack vital equipment such as airway support devices, pediatric defibrillation devices and drip stands, adequate maternity or delivery beds, but also keep no drug registers, no infection control registers and the disorganized patient records leave much to be desired.
“The fact that the clinic serves a considerable population in a fairly remote area without adequately trained staff or vital emergency equipment, calls for urgent intervention. The clinic further has no medical waste registers, service schedules and fire extinguishers, which pose a serious medico-legal risk,” said Edwards.
The total dysfunctionality of the clinic was revealed during an oversight inspection by the North West Provincial Legislature Committee on Health and Social Development on Tuesday.
Edwards further said legal action against the department should be avoided at all cost as it is already facing negligence claims amounting to R4bn. He added that the DA will, therefore, write to the MEC for Department of Health, Madoda Sambatha requesting him to urgently address the shortfalls to avoid possible legal action and also the unnecessary loss of lives.
“The following observations made during the oversight will need immediate intervention. The emergency room is not adequately equipped to deal with emergencies, like the layout of the emergency consultation area, is simply too small to provide any meaningful medical care to a patient in need of emergency medical attention.
“The clinic has no Tetanus and Diphtheria vaccinations on-site and also no fridge where drugs can be kept at the correct temperature. Such a fridge is crucial as certain drugs will only be effective when kept at the correct temperature. The Electrocardiogram, Defibrillator and Monitor have no calibration certificate,” he said.
Edwards said there is also no service history or register available for any of the monitoring devices. He said the resuscitation cart has no portable oxygen and the emergency drugs are not locked away.
“Scheduled drugs for sedation are stored in the same unlocked drawer. The mattress on the emergency bed has no linen and no cross-contamination protection. Bloodstains were also visible on the mattress.
“The Emergency Manual Ventilation Devices are stored in the original boxes. Subsequently, medical staff will then have to remove such lifesaving equipment from a box in the event of an emergency. Ideally, these items should be stored in an area that is easy to access.
Oxygen / Medical gas is not stored safely, nor is any register kept of the oxygen inventory,” Edwards said.
According to Edwards, those who are vulnerable in North West are not safe in hospitals and clinics. He said the intention to implement the National Health Insurance Bill will not improve the already collapsed healthcare system. Meanwhile, the North West Health department spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane failed to respond to our questions before going to print.
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