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The Northern Cape Health Department is complicit in the worsened wellbeing and loss of life of patients who are being left in the lurch by state-funded Patient Transport services.

This came to a head this week when patients from Namaqualand, including Port Nolloth, Steinkopf and Kuboes, gathered at the Springbok hospital yesterday morning, for departure to Upington at 4am. On arrival of the transporter, the driver informed the patients that he refused to drive the vehicle because of the poor state of the tyres and the non-operational lights.

This was not the first time that the patients were let down by the patient transport service.

On the 9th of November, patients also waited from 3am for their transport to Dr Harry Surtie Hospital. The transporter arrived at midday because the vehicle apparently first needed new tyres and a license disc.

By the time the patients arrived in Upington, they had missed their appointments and had to return to Springbok. They arrived back after 10pm, with some of them having no choice but to spend the night outside the hospital. Two patients from the Richtersveld also wasted R800 on transport to Springbok, for what turned out to be a wasted trip.

Some of the patients have life threatening conditions. One woman is suffering from a uterine prolapse, whereby her uterus is protruding from her private parts. She is permanently in severe pain and discomfort but due to her having missed her appointment for surgery, she has to wait until the 19th of January, for medical treatment.

In the past, the DA has exposed the plight of cancer patients and others, who missed life-saving appointments for similar reasons. Patients, especially those from Namaqualand, are being denied  health care because of the department’s ongoing failure to maintain its vehicles and manage the Patient Transport service.

The tardiness and lack of care of the EMS service cannot continue to be ignored. I have again raised the matter with the MEC and the HOD of Health. The DA will also bring it to the attention of the Premier during next week’s Question Time session.

Patients’ rights to life, good health and human dignity are being violated and for as long as the department neglects to fix this, they will have blood on their hands.

Issued by Dr Isak Fritz, MPL - DA Spokesperson of Health