By: Zethu Gweva
Dimbaza residents are forced to stand outside the Dimbaza Community Health Care Centre gate without chairs for at least four hours before receiving medical attention.
One of the residents who wanted to remain anonymous said due to this COVID-19 people are forced to stand outside the clinic gate without any chairs under different weather conditions and some even collapse.
“Yesterday, a man had an asthma attack and collapsed standing outside the gate,” she said.
She added that the nurses are careless because they do not monitor the severity of people’s illnesses when they stand on the main road as there is no space to stand on the pavement.
“People stand for more than nine hours without any social distancing being applied, waiting to go inside the clinic. Old people end up sitting on wet grass during rainy days,” said Anonymous.
According to the Eastern Cape Department of Health Spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo, due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak clinics are trying to achieve social distancing.
“We would like to appeal to people to please understand that there are measures being taken,” he said.
Anonymous suggested to nurses that, to avoid people standing on the main road and pavement, people can be placed at nearby Moses Twebe Community Hall.
She said, one of the nurses responded with a lot of emotion, saying she can do that herself if she wants.
Residents were unimpressed with the nurse’s attitude when they responded to their questions which include the health of patients.
“The nurses don’t inspect what is happening outside the clinic’s gates and there is no security to ensure social distancing is applied,” said Anonymous.
When asked why don’t nurses ensure social distancing is practised outside the gate Anonymous said the nurse’s response was that they only focus on what is happening inside the clinic.
Kupelo expressed that during cold weather conditions, management in the institution needs to make special arrangements so that people are not exposed to bad weather conditions.