The health of many is left at risk after Telkom suspends phone lines over the health department's over R36 million debt.
If you’re in the Eastern Cape, lying in a ditch and in urgent need of an ambulance or you need to call your nearest clinic to confirm if your chronic medication has arrived, or even if you want to check the status of your job application, you cannot use the usual numbers because the department of health’s telephone lines have been suspended.
The Eastern Cape department of health owes service provider, Telkom, R36 579 335.21 and as such, their phone lines have been cut off.
“The Department of Health would like to inform the people of the Eastern Cape about its telephones being temporarily down due to money owed to a service provider,” the department’s Mkhululi Ndamase says.
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“The department has written to the service provider, asking that the suspended telephone lines be reconnected again and committed that the debt will be settled at the beginning of the 2024/25 financial year. We are hoping that the department’s commitment to settle the debt in April will receive a favourable response from the service provider,” he says.
Doctors and nurses around that province have confirmed to Drum, anonymously, that the lines are down in their respective hospitals and clinics.
The department says it wants to assure people that they will still get the services they need from them because they have made alternative numbers available for people to use until their lines are back up.
“The department has had to use alternative numbers while the telephones are down to ensure that those in need of medical attention, they will still get it.”
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Until the telephone lines have been restored, people in need of ambulances can call the following numbers:
Joe Gqabi: 051 633 2333; 051 653 1069; 051 653 0393; 051 653 0554 or 051 653 0150
Alfred Nzo: 039 254 0170; 039 254 0353 039 254 0550 and 039 254 0026
Chris Hani: 045 838 1311, 045 838 1451; and 045 838 1657
Nelson Mandela Bay: 041 354 5404; 041 459 5245; 041 961 5016 and WhatsApp 066 298 0024 Buffalo City Metro and Amathole: 043 721 3156; 043 7267243; 043 7224856; 043 7206 3802; and 043 7262147
OR Tambo: 047 531 1948; 047 5315241; 047 531 5240; 047 5315242; 047 532 3386; 047 532 4174; 047 5323612; and 047 532 3391.
Sarah Baartman: Makhanda — 066 297 9886; 066 298 1322; and 083 378 0954.
Humansdorp — 066 298 1432; 066 298 1440; 066 298 1425; 042 291 0020; and 042 291 1571.
