PATIENT IN 'STORAGE ROOM'

A MANENBERG mother has expressed her shock and horror after her young son was allegedly neglected at Heideveld Day Clinic (CDC) on Monday 9 June.

The incident also highlights concerns about the state of public healthcare services. body copy_bold: The young boy, whose identity has been withheld to protect his privacy, was taken to the clinic at around 5pm after complaining of widespread pain.

According to the boy’s mother, upon arrival, she learned that her son had not been attended to, despite his evident suffering. 

Instead, he was reportedly placed in a makeshift area filled with soiled clothing, cleaning supplies, and bloody bedding.

She says: “By midnight on Sunday, he was still not seen to. I decided that I would take him home because no one was seeing to him.”

She added that health staff suggested a referral to Groote Schuur Hospital, but only after saying that her son’s condition was not serious. They left the clinic just after 2am.

GOOD Party councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli expressed his disappointment, labelling the experience as a reflection of a “broken, underfunded” healthcare system that requires immediate intervention.

Mamkeli says: “The room, which reportedly doubles as a space to rinse bedpans, is clearly not fit for human care.

“No one should be subjected to this kind of neglect in a public facility, least of all children.

“The right to health is enshrined in our Constitution, yet incidents like this show how far we are from realising equality.”

In response, Samantha Lee-Jacobs, spokeswoman for the provincial health and wellness department’s Klipfontein Mitchells Plain substructure, stated that the patient was attended to in what they referred to as the fracture room.

Jacobs said of the room is being used to give privacy of minor patients: “Heideveld EC is in the process of clearing clutter to improve patient experience.

“We can assure our patients that there is no medical waste contained in the room. 

“The Western Cape department of health and wellness acknowledge the frustration of both mother and patient. We sincerely apologise for the unintended negative experience she and her son encountered.”