By OBAKENG MAJE
The merging of health services has a huge impact on service delivery, says the chairperson of North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Health and Social Development, Gavin Edwards. This startling revelation was discovered during the oversight week, which the legislature conducted in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District.
Edwards said, this was part of strengthening oversight and public participation and promoting accountability and transparency in government. He further said, the merging of health services contributes to long waiting patient response time, and exhaustion of facility staff and could see tax payer’s monies being wasted on huge litigation costs charged against the North West Department of Health for this conduct.
“We have resolved on calling a meeting with the North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha to respond to the disintegration of health services provided at Community Health Centres (CHCs) in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District. We visited Community Health Centres in Itsoseng and Delareyville, where health professionals were combined to work together after hospitals were decommissioned in 2014 by the department.
“We have also noted with concern the challenge of merging health services in one health facility, whilst there is a gazette that stipulates how each facility (hospital and CHC) should be servicing according to the different prescripts of the gazette,” he said.
Edwards added that, amongst other issues raised, the system is very slow. He said this causes delays for patients for hours.
“All patients come straight to the CHC, whether it’s casualty/minor or emergency services. So, the hospital treats both emergency and casualty patients at the same time, which causes confusion at the centre.
“Also, there is only one ambulance that caters for the whole of Ditsobotla Local Municipality. It takes six to seven hours to get an ambulance, worse when there is load shedding. There are only four beds at casualty, and no x-rays, theatre and emergency room,” said Edwards.
He said water scarcity is another major problem at Itsoseng Healthcare centre. According to Edwards, health professionals can take up to two weeks operating without water.
“Patients’ files get lost due to the Health Patient Registration System (HPRS) system that does not work. A suggestion to open more rehabilitation centres was proposed to curb the issue of drug and substance abuse, which is a major problem at the health centre.
“The committee will communicate further details of the next meeting to hear the MEC’s response on challenges found at community health centres,” said Edwards.
Dr Semakaleng Theko, who works at the Itsoseng CHC expressed his frustrations before the committee stating that after Thusong Hospital was closed, the department informed them to work at Itsoseng CHC because Thusong was not safe.
“After we were informed to move and join the CHC, it is difficult for us to integrate our duties according to what is prescribed in the gazette. We are unable to perform major surgeries as the CHC does not have the licence to perform such.
“All patients had to come to this side when Thusong Hospital was closed and mostly, complained and demand Thusong Hospital back due to unreasonable delays.”
Meanwhile, some residents threatened to go to ConCourt to stop the demolition of Thusong Hospital. The North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said the hospital was built on dolomitic land and that put the lives of the patients at risk.
“We are aware of this group of people who are against the closure and the demolition of the hospital. They claim to have proof that, there is no dolomite.
“However, as the department, we have proof that the soil is dolomitic. We also have records of having maintained the building, yet the building keeps cracking,” he said.
Lekgethwane said, that is the reason why the department has deemed it necessary to seize any further developments in the building. He added that, the Itsoseng Community Health Centre (CHC) has the capacity to treat patients that were serviced by Thusong Hospital.
“The services both at Itsoseng CHC and General Deleray Hospital, which is in Lichtenburg, are now being expanded. The General Deleray Hospital can accommodate the services, which were rendered at Thusong hospital.
“If there are any challenges, those challenges have always been there even when Thusong Hospital was still operational. However, the department continues to deal with those challenges by ensuring the expansion of the hospital services to cover all the communities of Ditsobotla,” said Lekgethwane.
The Guardian 