Question NW2568 to the Minister of Health

Reply:

a) According to the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, the following factors and occurrences have caused delays on the project:

• Construction Tender delays.
• COVID-19 pandemic delayed the commencement of construction.
• An Implementer (in terms of the IDMS) was appointed in 2023 to manage the implementation of the projects.
• Professional Service Providers (PSP) Contracts came to an end and new PSP’s had to be appointed who need to familiarise themselves with the project documentation.

b) Provision of access to healthcare to the affected community:

• The Pacaltsdorp Clinic is a fixed facility operating from Monday to Friday (07h30 to 16h00), providing comprehensive health including acute, mother and child and chronic diseases management including HAST, with full doctor and pharmacy services daily. The facility is congested, and an appointment system is being implemented to try and relieve this.

In addition

• A dentist and oral hygienist visit the facility once a month, patients are pre-booked for these services. Emergency cases are referred to the Regional Hospital.
• A Mental Health nurses visits the facility twice a week to see booked cases and uncontrolled mental health clients.
• There are three external pick-up points located within the facility catchment area where stable chronic patients collect their medication.
• Mobile outreach services providing comprehensive PHC are provided at 4 sites (one site per week) in 4 different areas furthest away from the clinic in Pacaltsdorp.
• Health promotion outreach is done twice a month where preventive services are provided (family planning, immunisations, screening for HIV and TB, health promotion talks, etc.). The outreach is done to different sites on a rotational basis throughout the suburb so as to reach as many people as possible.
• Where specific health related concerns are identified, ad-hoc outreach is done to address the specific concern and to conduct surveillance as part of our outbreak response.
• Schools and creches are visited quarterly according to a roster for health promotion and dental outreach.
• Psychiatry outreach to the facility is provided by George Regional Hospital, twice a month. Patients requiring urgent specialist psychiatry consultations or urgent and routine specialist services by other medical disciplines, are referred to the Regional Hospital.
• Our partner, SAHARA, does substance rehabilitation on an outpatient basis at the facility, once a week.
• Allied health services are provided on a rotational basis i.e. Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy visits the facility once a week, one speciality per week on a rotational basis. Patients are booked to see these specialists in advance. Patients requiring emergency consults with Allied Health Specialists are discussed with the specialist and seen on special outreaches (additional to planned visits) or refereed to the Regional Hospital Allied Health services.
• Social Work services are provided by DSD and instances where the DSD Social Worker is not available, the Sub-district Social Worker will attend to the case on an urgent basis.
• SASSA Dr does remote file assessment and so doing considers approximately 40 client applications per week.

To increase space in the limited size-facility, space has been extended with standalone containers wherein some of these services are delivered. until the facility is upgraded

Once the building is upgraded and there is a full-time security, we will explore extended hours at the facility and flexible hours for staff to decrease pressure on the facility.

END.