ActionSA to Lay SAHRC complaint over inhumane Postmasburg Health Services
Andrew Louw
ActionSA Northern Cape Provincial Chairperson
ActionSA in the Northern Cape will lay a complaint at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over the inhumane health services provided to the community of Postmasburg, a roughly 200km drive from Kimberley.
When ActionSA visited Postmasburg on Thursday, we found that some of the ambulances had expired licence disks, required certificates of fitness (COF) and that there was a shortage of staff to operate the vehicles.
Meanwhile, the closest causality rooms are located in Upington and Kimberley – 200km away.
These governance failures place the lives of the community in danger. For example, in the community of Bortsoko, Postmasburg, we found an elderly woman, Dimaktso Julia Mokhoetsi, who was bitten by a scorpion at 09:15 and phoned an ambulance, but by 13:55 she was still waiting for it to arrive.
ActionSA, a party committed to ensuring the most vulnerable get the services they deserve, have therefore decided to write to the SAHRC to ensure that the Northern Cape provincial government is held accountable.
It cannot be that people can only access health care facilities in emergencies if they have access to private transport, and the provincial government need to urgently address the life-threatening situation.
ActionSA believes that quality health care is a human right that all South Africans are entitled to, and we will work tirelessly to ensure people get the services they deserve.
ActionSA to Lay SAHRC complaint over inhumane Postmasburg Health Services
ActionSA in the Northern Cape will lay a complaint at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over the inhumane health services provided to the community of Postmasburg, a roughly 200km drive from Kimberley.
When ActionSA visited Postmasburg on Thursday, we found that some of the ambulances had expired licence disks, required certificates of fitness (COF) and that there was a shortage of staff to operate the vehicles.
Meanwhile, the closest causality rooms are located in Upington and Kimberley – 200km away.
These governance failures place the lives of the community in danger. For example, in the community of Bortsoko, Postmasburg, we found an elderly woman, Dimaktso Julia Mokhoetsi, who was bitten by a scorpion at 09:15 and phoned an ambulance, but by 13:55 she was still waiting for it to arrive.
ActionSA, a party committed to ensuring the most vulnerable get the services they deserve, have therefore decided to write to the SAHRC to ensure that the Northern Cape provincial government is held accountable.
It cannot be that people can only access health care facilities in emergencies if they have access to private transport, and the provincial government need to urgently address the life-threatening situation.
ActionSA believes that quality health care is a human right that all South Africans are entitled to, and we will work tirelessly to ensure people get the services they deserve.