PATIENTS, nurses and staff members are forced to carry their own water bottles when they go to their local clinic.
This is because the Sekgopo Clinic at Ga-Sekgopo Village outside Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo has been without water for more than three weeks.
This comes after the clinic's borehole broke. Villagers said they now had to carry their own water bottles while those who didn't know about the situation suffered.
They said what made the situation worse was that they couldn't use the clinic's toilets.
"We have to hold it in we're finished consulting so we can go to nearby houses to relieve ourselves. The situation is very bad, especially for critically ill patients," said a 32-year-old villager.
They said it becomes even worse on Mondays when a doctor comes because the clinic always got packed.
Resident Edward Modiba (41) said gogos and madalas have to go thirsty while waiting in long queues.
"Our senior citizens are struggling at the clinic and the provincial health department seems not to care. Sick gogos and madalas can't carry water bottles because they no longer have the energy to do so," he said.
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Another resident, Tebogo Rashopola (30), said they saw some staff members going to fetch water with 5 litre bottles from a nearby school.
"A whole clinic that assists over 60 000 villagers doesn't have water. Those staff members should be assisting patients, but instead they go around fetching water. The situation is putting patients' lives at risk. Nurses are even struggling to help pregnant women give birth," he said.
A nurse at the clinic told Daily Sun a water tanker came and filled the clinic's tank with water. "But the water is not consumables because the tank doesn't have a lid. The water can be easily contaminated, so we use it to clean and bath only," said the nurse.
Health spokesman Neil Shikwambana said they were aware of the situation.
"A service provider has been dispatched to the clinic and has done the necessary assessment. The service provider is awaiting the parts that have been ordered to fix the borehole and as soon as they arrive, the borehole will be fixed," said Shikwambana.
