WATCH VIDEO: Frustrated patient locked out of clinic
Boksburg resident Zola Mathee said she was badly treated by staff members at the Boksburg Civic Clinic, recently.
Mathee visited the clinic for weeks to see the psychiatrist and to collect medication as per referral by her doctor.
However, every time she arrived at the clinic she was told the psychiatrist was not in attendance.
“I went there again on Thursday, February 26, and upon arrival, at around 1pm, the clinic’s entrance was already locked and the security guard on duty refused us access,”said Mathee.
The clinic’s operating times are, however from 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Apparently, the clinic was closed due to staff members having a farewell party.
Mathee insisted that she be allowed in and eventually got to see a nurse.
However, instead of giving her medication as per the doctor’s referral, the nurse made a note and told Mathee to take it to the OR Tambo Hospital.
The note alleged that Mathee is “aggressive and needs help”.
“I was made aware by the doctor at the hospital that apparently I need help, since I could not read the woman’s handwriting. All I want is to collect medicine,” said Mathee.
Ekurhuleni Metro said it views the incident in a serious light and disciplinary measures will be implemented against the responsible personnel to prevent future occurrences.
Metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe said investigations revealed that the personnel were not having a party but were holding an important meeting in preparation for a planned audit visit to the clinic.
“However, management had not granted approval for the early closure of the clinic on the particular day for any reason,” said Gadebe.
“It should be noted that the service requested by the complainant is a specialised service which is rendered only on selected days (Tuesdays and Thursday) and supported by a specialist doctor on Tuesdays.
“According to the policy, any new client must first be seen by the specialist doctor for prescribing of the treatment for this specific service,” said Gadebe.
He added that follow-up clients are seen every six months by the specialist doctor for treatment reviews.
Gadebe said Mathee was a new client who attended the clinic with a private prescription and private prescriptions may not be issued at the clinic.
“Clients need to be reviewed and placed onto the protocol by a specialist doctor according to the level of service and the Essential Drug List for Primary Health Care level of service.
“Furthermore, the professional nurse who was responsible for the service was attending to a patient at another clinic but returned to the clinic to see the complainant.
“The complainant was referred to the OR Tambo Memorial Hospital, as the required service was outside the scope of practice of the nurse.
“On investigation it was found that the client received the required medication from OR Tambo Memorial Hospital, except for one drug which was not on code,” said Gadebe.
“If necessary, disciplinary steps will be instituted on finalisation of the investigation.
“The metro regrets the incidence and apologises for any inconvenience to the clients.”
