KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has warned communities not to resist change meant to benefit them. File photo.KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has warned the public not to use hospitals as political playgrounds.
This comes after aggrieved people on Wednesday demonstrated outside Thulasizwe Hospital, a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment facility in Ulundi, in the north of the province. “We would like to remind those who are opposed to our plans that hospitals are not playgrounds but sacred spaces that deal with critical matters of life and death. As such, they should not be subjected to undue political interference,” said Simelane.
Over the years, the facility has recorded a decline in patient numbers, attributed by the department to low TB-infection numbers in the area, as well as improved and decentralised treatment approaches that do not require patient admissions. Patients can also seek treatment at nearby Ceza Hospital. Simelane said the department plans to reconfigure the old and dilapidated hospital into a primary healthcare clinic for the community.
Thulasizwe Hospital is not in Ulundi but KwaCeza, a good 38km away. Ulundi has no hospital.
Sick people need medical attention,not threats
Was this after lunch?
Hippo