Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbite in English by Mduduzi Maphanga
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Kgetlengrivier will submit a petition to the North West Department of Health, through MPL Hendriëtte van Huysteen, calling for the urgent conversion of the Swartruggens Health Care Centre into a fully functional hospital.
This petition has also been tabled before the Kgetlengrivier Council, where we urged other parties to lobby their representatives on the Health Portfolio Committee to prioritise this matter. The centre requires only a few additional beds and staff to enable it to fully utilise its existing facilities and provide much-needed hospital-level care.
At present, the closure of the Borolelo Clinic, along with clinics in Phela and Tlokweng, has created severe pressure on the Swartruggens Health Care Centre, leaving residents with limited access to primary health care. Reopening Borolelo Clinic would significantly ease this burden and ensure that residents receive care closer to home.
Currently, patients must often be referred to JST Hospital, not due to a lack of competence by staff at Swartruggens, but because of legal restrictions tied to the Centre’s status. This is both impractical and unfair to patients who should be able to receive treatment locally.
Upgrading the Swartruggens Health Care Centre and reopening Borolelo Clinic would:
- Relieve the strain on JST Hospital,
- Improve access to health care for residents of Kgetlengrivier and Moses Kotane,
- Restore dignity to communities long denied proper services.
The DA trusts that the Department will treat this matter with the urgency it demands. The people of Kgetlengrivier and Moses Kotane cannot wait any longer for quality, accessible health care.