The Mpumalanga Department of Health (MDOH) would like to put the record straight to the public about the operations ( Health Service Delivery) at Cathyville Clinic ext 13 in Barberton. This follows false accusations by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) that the Department is depriving residents of Extention 13 health services by operating the Cathyville Clinic for 8 hours a day.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) communicated these allegations on a Podcast called Makhonjwa Podcast News which broadcast via Facebook. The EFF claims that the Department is failing the public by not providing the community with a 24 hours service.
The Department would like to state that Cathyville Clinic is an 8-hour clinic operating from 07h00 to 16h00.
The clinic serves a catchment population of approximately 9,439 people, which is in line with the Integrated Health Planning Framework, which provides that an 8-hour clinic should generally serve a population of approximately 8,000–10,000 people.
The request for Cathyville Clinic to operate on a 24-hour basis should therefore be considered against the population it serves and the availability of alternative 24-hour services in the area.
A 24-hour clinic would generally be appropriate for a significantly larger catchment population, in the region of 50,000–60,000 people, depending on the service needs and planning considerations.
Importantly, the Cathyville community does have access to 24-hour healthcare services within a relatively close distance. M’Afrika Community Health Centre, which operates 24 hours, is approximately 8 km away, while Barberton Hospital is approximately 4 km away and they both provide health care services 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Based on the current catchment population and the availability of nearby 24-hour services, there is currently no plan to convert the operating hours of Cathyville Clinic into a 24-hour health facility.
The Department will continue to monitor service utilisation, population growth and community healthcare needs. Should the catchment population and service demand change significantly, the operating hours and level of service at Cathyville Clinic will be reviewed as part of the integrated health planning process.
Issued by the Communications Directorate.
For inquiries contact the Spokesperson of the Department, Mr Dumisani Malamule on 0715247136.