For residents of Pelican Park and surrounding areas, the Pelican Park Community Centre is the closest clinic when illness strikes.
However, for many residents the reality is long queues outside clinic gates with no guarantee of being helped as the centre is fully booked until October.
Sitting front in line, at a makeshift waiting area on the pavement on Wednesday 20 August, Leth Peters says she has been patiently waiting outside the gates since 06:00.
“The gate opened at 08:00 and I was first in the line as an unbooked patient.
“I need to see a doctor and there is a waiting area inside the clinic, but apparently it is full. They apparently first have to find out with the doctor whether he can see more patients.”
According to patients, they are not allowed to wait inside the clinic because they had not made an appointment.
“Only the people who are booked went inside this morning. If I don’t get an appointment today, I don’t know how the system works. We were told that appointments were fully booked up until October, but I need help now.”
Second in line, Daniel van Wyk, repeatedly taps his foot on the ground:
“I can’t wait, I need a doctor now. I am in a lot of pain.”
Covering his face with his hand, Van Wyk says he is just “hanging on” and hopeful that a doctor would see him.
“I don’t know what is going to happen. I know they must at least take one or two unbooked people a day but now they are saying that they are fully booked. We are still hanging on and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
A single mother of three from Strandfontein, who chose to remain anonymous, says she was referred to the clinic to collect chronic medication for high blood pressure and had specifically taken a leave day to attend.
“I have a referral from the day hospital for my test results and tablets. I had my last high blood pressure tablets today and the matron at the clinic told me I must just wait and see whether they would help us.
“What happens tomorrow when I need to take a tablet because I am on chronic medication?”
The concerned mom says she can’t return the next day and most importantly needs her medication.
“If they don’t help you today, you must just come back tomorrow, and I am a single parent and working. I took the day off to come to the clinic.
“It is unfair because we have all been waiting the whole morning.
“We are told to wait outside and everyone sitting here is only allowed to use the toilet and then they must come back outside, until they maybe see you.”
On Tuesday 22 August, People’s Post reported on a motion rejected at Subcouncil 18 for a dignified waiting area to be erected at the clinic.
When People’s Post visited the clinic on Wednesday 30 August, a long line of unbooked patients waited outside as one waiting area inside the clinic was filled to capacity.
However a second waiting area remained empty.
PR Councillor Shireen August says it is very concerning for residents to be waiting on the pavement when there’s a large waiting area available inside the facility.
“My concern is not the appointments and all of that because I am sure the City can deal with that, I don’t want to tell them how to do their job.
“My concern is people sitting outside. Those people sitting outside will tell you that they have been sitting here since 06:30 and to sit outside like that, with a sick child or a disabled person when there is a huge space inside the clinic is not right.
“All I am saying is accommodate them all because they are sitting on the pavement.”
Shireen says the issue first came to her attention in 2021.
“It is not about politics, and it never was. You have to have passion to serve people, if you don’t have the passion then you are in the wrong profession.
“As councillors, your responsibility is towards the people.
“Let’s unite for the people, this is what is required for the community and that is all I am saying.”
