Kuyasa Clinic closed after break-in

Statement by Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien

I am horrified to learn of a break-in at the City’s Kuyasa Community Day Centre in Khayelitsha in the early hours of Wednesday 8 January 2020.

Eight computers which were delivered to the clinic in early December were stolen, and the network and uninterrupted power supply (UPS) cabinet was broken.

There was also damage to the building the cost of which has yet to be confirmed.

This incident is a significant setback for health services in the area.

The Kuyasa CDC sees on average 400 clients per day; treats approximately 500 clients for Tuberculosis each year and has close to 5 000 clients on anti-retroviral treatment care.

Clients come from Kuyasa, but also surrounding areas like Monwabisi Park, Enkanini, Ezwelitsha and Harare a collective population of nearly 150 000 people.

These are mostly informal and impoverished areas, with a high unemployment rate and a very high burden of disease, where people depend on the public health services provided at Kuyasa CDC.

The suspension of operations at the site until the South African Police Service completes a full investigation and the facility is secured again, has a direct negative impact on this community.

For example:

Sick children have to be taken further away to Michael Mapongwana Clinic, where the patient load is already high.

Clients on TB, ARVs and other chronic medications are not able to access care.

Women on family planning methods will miss their appointments.

The clients not seen during the facility closure will add to already long queues once the facility re-opens. For as long as the IT equipment is not replaced, the flow of patients will be extremely slow due to difficulty in locating the patient folders and no access to lab results and labeling for the medications issued.

While the impact of this incident will be felt for a long time to come, it would help if those responsible are caught and prosecuted.

I appeal to the public to come forward if they know anything about this brazen incident that could help the police find the perpetrators.

Source: City Of Cape Town

Recent Posts