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Residents in Rooiwal near Namibian border without a clinic

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Residents in Rooiwal near Vioolsdrift on the Namibian border are without a clinic. The only clinic in their area was vandalised almost two years ago. Promises to refurbish the building have still not been fulfilled by the Northern Cape Health Department.

The only healthcare facility for residents here was badly damaged. For proper healthcare, the sick must now travel hundreds of kilometres.

Annamarie Fredericks has a broken hip and the situation has added to her suffering.

“I can’t get to the other hospital. I also can’t be transported with any vehicle; I must be transported on a stretcher because there is no stretcher. They transported me with outpatient transport. I’m still waiting for someone to attend to this. Yesterday I had to take off the bandage because it is getting dirty. I’m still waiting here because I can’t get to Vioolsdrift,” says Fredericks.

The matter was reported but nothing has been done yet.

“We are sitting with the same problem. The Northern Cape Department of health made promises and said they will come back to us. They came but didn’t do anything until today we are sitting with the same problem. People are getting hurt here. We wait for three hours before we get an ambulance,” says Rooiwal community leader Ringo Isaacs.

The Northern Cape Health Department says it is aware of the history of issue and has promised to attend to the infrastructure problem in this financial year.

“So in terms of the infrastructure issues, the implementing agents in this regard is the Department of Public Works of which we have done some requests and submitted relevant documentation in line with the scope of work that needs to be attended to. So we are just in a way of following up just to make sure that before the end of this financial year, that facility should be operational,” Northern Cape Health Department’s Lebogang Majaha.

The Department further says once refurbished, a nurse will be deployed to the facility.

“You would understand that during the time that facility was vandalised, we had to ensure that we at least allocate our staff to our nearest facility, which is Vioolsdrift clinic, just up until that issue has been resolved. But that staff is with the full complement of nurses and clerks and they are ready to serve that community,” Majaha added.

Despite promises to restore the damaged clinic, there is no fixed deadline for when the work will be completed and the clinic reopened.

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