DA Ward 100 and 114 PR councillor, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku has expressed concern about allegations of poor services at Zandspruit Community Clinic.
In a statement, she explained that she had been inundated with calls from community members in Zandspruit enquiring about the reason why patients are being turned away from the clinic from 3.30pm, for weeks on end, resulting in them having to return the next day.
“One can just imagine the inconvenience this causes in a community like Zandspruit, which is mainly informal settlements. The unemployment rate is really high, with lots of residents relying on services from the clinic,” she explained.
“On enquiring with the clinic why patients were being turned away, I was informed that the clinic has a huge problem with electricity,” she said. The clinic has been relying on a generator to operate, especially during the extended hours.
“However, for the past 10 weeks they have had problems with the generator working on and off. Nothing is being done about it, so to manage services to the patients, they close earlier when the problem arises,” Belinda explained.
“In most cases, the women and children suffer the most,” she lamented, accusing the ANC government of neglecting this community for the past 25 years.
“During the former DA-led administration, we had worked tirelessly to ensure that the residents of Zandspruit were getting the services they deserve, assuring them that they would not be forgotten. That is why they also enjoyed the benefits of the extended operating hours.
“The community members confirmed that the clinic used to close at 7pm; however, this is no longer the case,” she explained.
“It seems the new ANC-led administration is not interested in ensuring that the poor gets services. They are once again leaving this community, mostly informal settlements behind.
“As the DA we will continue to hold this new administration accountable to ensure that communities like Zandspruit do not get left behind, and the poor and vulnerable get access to basic health care and other service delivery,” she vowed.
