Residents in Gugulethu are demanding that the Western Cape Department of Health expedite plans to build a new hospital in the area, accusing it of dragging its heels despite the urgent need for the facility.
Taking to the streets earlier this week, the marchers said they wanted to know when construction of the hospital would start, saying the KTC Community Health Centre, currently the only one in the area, was in a shocking state, with poor service. They told GroundUp it was often dirty, frequently had stockouts, had insufficient parking, and was not wheelchair-friendly.
The Movement for Change and Social Justice, an alliance of health, safety and social service organisations, has been advocating, since 2016, for a district hospital with a trauma unit to be built in the district.
However, there has been resistance to the City of Cape Town’s plan to transfer a sports field to the provincial government for the hospital, with the Gugulethu Sports and Development Trust saying it uses the field on weekends and had a month-to-month lease with the city, and that about 22 schools also hold their inter-school matches there.
Old and inadequate
The protesters told News24 that KTC, built in the 1960s, could no longer meet the needs of the growing population of Gugulethu and dense surrounding areas such as Philippi and Lusaka, and the informal settlements of Barcelona, Europe and Kanana.
Mandla Majola from the Movement for Change and Social Justice said attempts to talk to the Health Department had been unsuccessful.
He said they received dozens of complaints daily about the bad conditions at KTC.
“We are firm and clear that we need a hospital, but it must not come at the expense of destroying a sports field,” he added.
Health Department spokesperson Monique Johnstone said: “No formal engagements have taken place as we are waiting for confirmation to use the identified site.”
The Department of Infrastructure, as the custodian of all Western Cape Government land, was still engaging with the city about the site, she added.
The new facility was expected to include an obstetric unit as well as a well-equipped maternity ward.
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