|
Health Care Worker Shortage in South African Clinic |
| Print |
|
E-mail
|
|
Monday, 31 July 2006 |
Mzinti clinic is situated at Mzinti location, Mpumalanga province in South Africa. The clinic has five nurses, including one professional nurse, a clerk and two lay counselors. The nurses are friendly and willing to help. The clinic has a shortage of staff.
Shortage of staff at Mzinti Clinic
By Nelsiwe Sithole
Mzinti clinic is situated at Mzinti location, Mpumalanga province. The clinic has five nurses, including one professional nurse, a clerk and two lay counselors. The nurses are friendly and willing to help. The clinic does voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), mother-to- child transmission prevention of HIV (MTCTP) and CD4 count testing. The majority of the patients in this clinic are diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB).
The clinic has a shortage of staff. If a general worker is sick, the sister-in- charge is forced to do the cleaning before she can start with her work. Other nurses have to do the receptionist's job while also servicing the patients.
Sometimes the clinic becomes so overcrowded that they have to close before time and concentrate only to the patients who have managed to get inside. The sister-in-charge, Sr. Sikhonde, says that they need two staff nurses and one professional nurse to meet the demands of the community who are serviced by the clinic.
A doctor is only available on Wednesdays and he does not spend the whole day. He services three other clinics on the day. The clinic is also small and has a limited area that is not suitable for staff and patients. |
