Health and Wellness
Whether she is aware of any challenges at the Grabouw Clinic, including staff shortages and infrastructure-related challenges; if so, what is her Department doing to address these challenges?
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness is aware of specific infrastructure-related challenges at the Grabouw Community Health Centre (CHC) facility and has put in place measures to address them.
Two key infrastructure requests have been identified with the workshop staff, namely:
- maintenance to the main sewerage and
- modifications to the main entrance doorway to improve patient flow and security.
The sewerage is being addressed by Engineering and Technical Services and the Main Entrance issues have been incorporated into the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) project CI810271: Grabouw CHC – Entrance & Records Upgrades, which is currently in Stage 3 of the development process. WCDHW is currently awaiting the final Stage 3 report. This project will address infrastructure and layout deficiencies, including the expansion of the registry area and enlargement of the waiting area, which are currently contributing to operational inefficiencies in patient folder management and service delivery.
Issues such as delays in the implementation of the capital project have led to frustration in the local community.
The Department remains committed to ensuring that infrastructure challenges are addressed and that service delivery at Grabouw CHC is supported through both short- and long-term interventions.
Additionally, the budget cuts and the recent recruitment regulations by the National Department of Public Service and Administration has constrained the filling of critical posts, including that of the Operational Manager. This results in a less-than-ideal staffing situation where current staff absorb additional duties and pressures.
The recruitment process to fill posts at the Grabouw Clinic is currently underway.
