The Democratic Alliance stepped in on Monday after approximately 15 patients at Kuruman Hospital were left stranded while waiting for transport to Kimberley for specialist appointments, procedures and consultations for themselves and their children.
Some had been waiting since Sunday and had travelled significant distances to get to Kuruman to catch their patient transport. Many had waited months for these appointments, only to be left without transport, shelter or meaningful assistance.
Patients were forced to endure the cold, with some sleeping under the hospital reception counter. They were chased out of casualty while a room intended for them was locked because the employee responsible for the key had already left.
They were even told to wait in a TB ward. Patients refused due to the health risks and instead remained outside.
The patients were cold, tired and hungry, and waiting to get the medical care they require.
The DA intervened, engaged with hospital management, secured a safe place for the patients to shelter and provided warm meals. This would not have been necessary if we had a functioning and compassionate health system in place.
These patients now risk missing specialist appointments that they waited months to obtain, potentially forcing them back onto lengthy waiting lists. For people in need of medical treatment for conditions like cancer, such delays can have serious consequences for their health.
Northern Cape Provincial Leader Isak Fritz has written to Health MEC Nontobeko Vilakazi, calling for urgent action to address the ongoing service delivery failures at Kuruman Hospital, including patient transport.
The ANC-led healthcare system failed these patients. The DA stepped in.
Our communities deserve a healthcare system that works, treats people with dignity, urgency and kindness. That is why we must get behind the DA in the local government elections to get our towns working, and carry that support into the national and provincial elections so that we can also work to fix our healthcare system.