ACTIVISTS are furious over reports that a number of clinics in their area are due to be closed.
Members of the Treatment Action Campaign said the City of Cape Town had already closed one clinic in Khayelitsha and was planning to shut down more without having consulted with residents.
People Living with HIV chairwoman Neliswa Nkwali told Daily Sun: “At Zakhele, patients were given referral letters to other facilities but staff there have complained they are already overcrowded.”
Neliswa said a researcher told her there was a list of nine kasi clinics, which was not yet public, due to be closed.
Councillor Philiswa Marman from the GOOD party said Lizo Nobanda TB Centre had already been closed, and she was concerned that TB patients would stop taking medication.
“Most of them don’t have transport to go to Harare and Site B for assistance. I’m personally affected by the Zakhele Clinic issue because my kids and I use it,” she said.
Community services and health MMC Councillor Patricia van der Ross said no health facilities had been closed in Khayelitsha.
“The only change was the reduction of services at Zakhele in October due to infrastructure issues currently being addressed,” she said.
“All HIV and TB patients have since been referred to surrounding clinics as a temporary measure.”
She said health and reproductive health services resumed at the clinic on 2 January.
Speaking about Lizo Nobanda, she said the building belonged to the municipality but services were not provided by the city, so municipal officials had no say.
Health spokeswoman Abulele Dyasi said: “Patients were placed at Lizo Nobanda for a limited time period depending on their needs, the maximum being six weeks. This is because it was a step-down facility offering intermediate care services. It was closed on 15 September. It was an in-patient unit and cannot be compared with other clinics.
“Our primary healthcare facilities refer TB patients requiring further care to our dedicated TB facilities.”
