Note to Broadcasters: Please find the attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Hendriëtte van Huyssteen.
The DA laid a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission against the NW Department of Health regarding the state of the Bloemhof Community Health Centre (CHC). (See the document here).
During an oversight by the DA with the Portfolio Committee on Health last week, it was discovered that the urgent directives by the committee to the Department to address the egregious human rights violations against patients remain unchanged.
During the first oversight visit in February last year, it was discovered that patients in need of dental treatment had their teeth extracted while sitting in a plastic garden chair, a horrible and inhumane act of treatment. The Department of Health was directed to correct these immediately.
However, during the oversight visit last week, it was noted that the patients would still be subject to those degrading conditions. The Department had ordered a dental chair, which had been delivered but remained unassembled in one corner of the room. (See oversight video here).
Clearly, the department is unable to manage the supply chain processes from procurement to installation. This ineffectiveness in selecting and installing lifesaving equipment raises troubling concerns. How could a department place an order for a chair without arranging for its assembly and installation? This failure is indicative of a broader culture of inefficiency, disinterest, and neglect that impairs the provision of vital public healthcare resources and is a testament to the utter failure of good governance and the disregard for human dignity in North West.
The complaint highlights not only the cruel behaviour exhibited against patients but also the department’s failure to act, following repeated parliamentary probes and an almost-year-long lapse.
The governing party in the North West, the African National Congress (ANC), continues to ignore the legislature’s authority, thereby undermining democratic governance and accountability.
The DA believes that every person has the right to access healthcare that is safe, dignified, and humane. The conditions at Bloemhof Community Health Centre fall far short of this standard and constitute a clear violation of patients’ basic rights