Complaints from local residents concerning poor service delivery by the ANC-led Tshwane Council, also extend to complaints against the ANC led Gauteng Provincial Legislation and the ANC led National Assembly.
This follows many residents complaining for years amongst others, about crime (National competency), overcrowding in schools (Provincial) and hospitals (Provincial) and Provincial Roads such as the nearby R55 and the M26.
Yet again, it is none other than the ‘incompetent’ Cllr Naeem Patel who is part of the ANC PCO office in Centurion, who is supposed to address the complaints of local residents on this forum, concerning all spheres of government, as the office comprises of ANC Councillors, ANC MPLs (Province) and MPs (National). But, as more and more residents are experiencing, Patel has been neglecting the masses and seems to be more interested in promoting himself, posting selfies on various social media platforms including ANC platforms, seemingly to get a promotion from the ANC, to sit at a higher position.
This follows local residents again complaining of the poor treatment they receive at the Laudium Community Health Centre (LCHC), more commonly known as the Laudium Hospital on Bengal Street. The poor service provided has been described as pathetic by many residents, with patients often waiting for hours without even being given a chance to queue properly. The quality of care is reportedly at a record low. In response to the ongoing crisis, EFF Ward 61 representative, Tasawar Hussain Choudhry from Laudium, along with former Gauteng Legislature member Molebogeng Masoleng and current Gauteng Legislature member, Remonde Abrahams (MPL), conducted an oversight visit to LCHC recently.
Tasawar told the Laudium Sun, “I am the nominated EFF representative for Ward 61, representing Laudium/Erasmia as a minority community. I’ve received numerous complaints from the residents of Laudium, Erasmia, and across the entire Ward about the poor state of services at the Laudium Community Health Centre. In response, my colleagues and I conducted an oversight visit. What we found was deeply concerning. Many facilities are not functional and the management at the centre is failing. We spoke to some doctors and discovered many of the doctors are often absent. Patients sit from early in the morning all day, waiting for assistance, struggling just to get a file. Some of them wait until 3pm or 4pm, only to be sent away without receiving any help. These are the kinds of complaints we continuously receive. During our visit, we learned that there were supposed to be five or six doctors on duty, but only two were present. Doctors told us that they sometimes wait for hours without patient files. Then, late in the afternoon, they’re suddenly handed 20 to 30 files and expected to rush through them. This impacts not only the patients, who are left sitting the whole day without treatment, but also the quality of care provided. We raised these issues with the Medical Superintendent (MS), who claimed to be unaware of the situation, something we find completely unacceptable. As the EFF, we will be requesting the provincial legislature to assign a representative to monitor the clinic’s operations on a weekly basis. This will help ensure accountability and provide a direct channel for complaints, so issues can be addressed promptly. I also want to highlight another serious community concern. The old age home situated on the premises has been non-functional, is covered with overgrown weeds and is neglected. I am personally committed to restoring and re-opening it for the benefit of our elderly residents, as soon as possible, Ameen.”
Gazeem Solomons, a resident of Bengal Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The Laudium Community Health Centre (LCHC) is in really bad shape and something needs to be done immediately to restore the standard of services that we, as Laudium residents, used to receive in the past. The quality of service has gone downhill and the waiting times are ridiculously long. Honestly, it’s not an exaggeration to say that some patients could lose their lives just by waiting too long. There are always long queues and every time I go there, I see pregnant women waiting endlessly. The system is pathetic and that’s probably why many local residents prefer to visit hospitals outside Laudium, rather than coming to LCHC. People coming from far areas like Olivenhouthbosch and other parts of Tshwane seem to get help immediately while we, the residents of Laudium, struggle to receive basic services. It’s supposed to be a community clinic, but it feels like there’s no system in place for the people who actually live here. The clinic must urgently improve its services to the community. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that will happen anytime soon, because the staff appear disinterested and arrogant when it comes to helping residents living in Laudium or Erasmia.
Faheem Hassim, also of Bengal Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The experience at the Laudium Hospital (LCHC) is really very bad and I’m sure most of us have had terrible experiences there. It’s completely unacceptable, especially the attitude of some staff members, which seems to be very negative towards Indian patients in particular. It feels like they assume that Indians are wealthy and question why we’re even using a public facility. But they don’t realize that we all face financial struggles. Regardless of our background or race, a lot of people are facing hard times, including Indians. Besides, it’s our basic human right to access treatment at a public health facility. Whether rich or poor, we are all human and deserve equal care. Unfortunately, I’ve seen what feels like clear discrimination to how Indian patients are treated at LCHC and this must stop.”
