Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbite in English and by Freddy Sonakile
The DA submitted a letter to North West MEC of Health, Madoda Sambatha, requesting his intervention at Montshioastadt Health Centre in Mahikeng. This follows an oversight inspection we conducted at the primary healthcare facility. See letter here.
The centre requires urgent intervention to address serious problems with blocked drainage pipes, structurally compromised roofing, dysfunctional ablution facilities, and loose floor tiles. (See pictures here, here, here and here , here and here)
In a bid to alleviate overcrowding at the facility, a temporary building was made available a few years ago, but is now in state of neglect, and is too small to accommodate the increasing number of patients. This additional space does not have a functional air conditioning system, forcing patients to squeeze in for consultations, counselling and the collection of chronic medicine under unhygienic conditions.
The back-up generator is not yet operational. During our oversight inspection, scheduled loadshedding kicked in, but the generator died two minutes in.
The maternity unit is in a dire state, with old, dilapidated beds and curtains. (See pictures here, here and here.) The facility’s three geysers are all broken leaving the facility without any hot water.
The DA Western Cape Government delivers quality medical services in state-of-the-art facilities. North West residents can vote for quality public health care on 29 May 2024 by voting DA.