Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by David Masoeu MPL and Afrikaans soundbite by Cllr Marieta Visser. See attached images here, here, here and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to MEC for Health, Mr Mahlatsi, to prioritise repairs and maintenance at Marantha Clinic and ensure healthcare services resume at the facility.
This comes after conditions at the clinic in Winnie Mandela Town resulted in its shut down by the Department of Labour. It was discovered that the clinic was without drinking water for over a year.
During a recent oversight visit, the DA found that the Town Hall, where clinical services were moved to, is not an appropriate healthcare facility alternative, as there is no provision of services like electricity, a reliable water supply, and the infrastructure is crumbling. This is detrimental as no cooling system is available for medication that needs to be stored in a refrigerator or cooling system.
Furthermore, the two mobile clinics stationed at the Town Hall are inadequate to handle the influx of residents seeking medical attention. This has resulted in patients who regularly visit the facility not receiving medical treatment.
While the staff of Marantha Clinic are making an effort to render services in the Town Hall, the way forward still remains unclear as the Department of Health in the Free State has not issued any official communication to the community on when the clinic will reopen.
The DA will continue to put pressure on the Department for the quality of healthcare services provided to Free State residents and monitor progress on restoring infrastructure in healthcare facilities.