A Cape Flats clinic has been shut down after heartless skelms trashed the much-needed facility and stole eight computers.
Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, Zahid Badroodien, says staff at the Kuyasa Clinic in Khayelitsha got a skrik when they arrived at work on Wednesday to find that vandals had ripped open the security gates to gain access.
ANGERED: Zahid Badroodien. Picture: Supplied
He says despite having security guards at the City facility, new computers delivered in December were stolen.
“I am horrified to learn of a break-in at the City’s Kuyasa Community Day Centre in Khayelitsha.
“Eight computers which were delivered to the clinic in early December were stolen, and the network and uninterrupted power supply (UPS) cabinet was broken.”
He says the City is busy assessing damages to the building and the cost of repairs have yet to be determined.
Police were called to the clinic on Wednesday to dust for fingerprints and at this stage it is unclear how many suspects there are and whether or not vehicles were used in the crime.
CLOSED: Patients sent elsewhere. Picture: Supplied
Badroodien says the clinic sees an average of 400 patients each day and treats 500 TB patients a year.
“The clinic also provides treatment for close to 5 000 clients on anti-retroviral treatment care.
“Clients come from Kuyasa, but also surrounding areas like Monwabisi Park, Enkanini, Ezwelitsha and Harare which, is a collective population of nearly 150 000 people.”
He says they have been forced to shut the clinic while police investigate the burglary and patients will now have to make their way to Michael Mapongwana Clinic, where the patient intake is already high.
ACCESS: Broken door entry. Picture: Supplied
“I am furious at this because now we will have grannies who will have to walk further, stand in longer queues and get sicker as a result of this incident,” says Badroodien.
“The people who have done this are stealing from their own community.
“For as long as the IT equipment is not replaced, the flow of patients will be extremely slow due to difficulty in locating the patient folders and no access to lab results and labelling for the medications issued.”
Badroodien appealed to residents to come forward with information to help catch the skelms.