By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA – Frustrated residents of Makgalaneng Village, led by the Maluti-a-Phofung Forum, have intensified their call for improved healthcare services, demanding that the Department of Health upgrade the local clinic into a 24-hour facility.
The demands were delivered during a peaceful march to the department of health offices and the office of the executive mayor on Wednesday, 15 July, where scores of residents handed over a memorandum outlining what they described as the community’s long-standing healthcare crisis.
Carrying placards bearing messages such as “We Need a 24-Hour Clinic”, “Healthcare With Dignity”, “More Nurses, More Medication”, “Reliable EMS Ambulances Now” and “Health is a Right”, residents called for urgent intervention to improve services at the clinic.
Maluti-a-Phofung Forum chairperson Isaac Phoolo said the condition of the clinic has steadily deteriorated despite repeated appeals to authorities since 2024.
“Our clinic is in a shocking state. It is severely understaffed, the building has broken and cracked windows, patients are often sent home without receiving their medication, and the poor electrical wiring poses a serious safety risk to both staff and patients,” said Phoolo.
He said the existing clinic is no longer capable of meeting the healthcare needs of Makgalaneng’s growing population.”
The number of patients has increased significantly, but staffing levels have remained the same. Residents spend hours standing in long queues before receiving medical attention. Elderly people are forced to wake up before dawn and queue in freezing temperatures just to stand a chance of being assisted,” he said.
Phoolo said residents are demanding the appointment of additional healthcare workers, the availability of essential medication at all times, improved emergency medical services, and the conversion of the clinic into a fully operational 24-hour healthcare facility.
Beyond healthcare concerns, the community also called on the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality to address deteriorating infrastructure by installing functional street lights to combat crime, paving the road leading to the local cemetery, and erecting proper fencing around cemeteries to prevent vandalism and protect gravesites.
The memorandum was received on behalf of the Department of Health by Solly Mdaka, while Pontsho Mdaweni accepted it on behalf of the Executive Mayor’s Office.
Residents have now urged both the provincial Department of Health and the municipality to respond swiftly to their demands, warning that access to quality healthcare and basic municipal services can no longer be delayed.
