The Mayfield tubercolosis clinic in Extension 9 is in poor state of repair, is chronically understaffed and does not receive enough funding to stay open every day. The clinic is the only one in the area.
The Mayfield tubercolosis clinic in Extension 9 is in poor state of repair, is chronically understaffed and does not receive enough funding to stay open every day. The clinic is the only one in the area.
The small red building surrounded by a vegetable garden has cracks in its ceiling and walls and the geyser drips water. In summer it is invaded by ticks and in winter the tiled floor is cold to the touch.
As it is the only TB clinic in the area, anyone hoping to receive any other treatment must walk or take a taxi to the overcrowded Joza Clinic five kilometres away. For Gcobisa Gumenge, a volunteer operator at the clinic, this is a troubling situation. She wants the clinic to be open every day to serve the throng of patients who arrive at the clinic every day. But, despite her wishes, the municipality says they cannot provide the additional staff to turn the facility into a general clinic.
While there are issues preventing an upgrade, the cracks in the doorway and leaking pipes remain a concern. The pipes outside drip water into the foundations, causing even more cracks to form. Gumenge says that the municipality visited the site several months ago to assess the state of the facility. After promising to repair the cracks in the roof and the geyser, the municipality has still done nothing to fix them.
The municipal spokesperson, Thandy Matebese, declined to comment on the issue.
For Extension 8 and 9 residents, some of whom have chronic TB, the Mayfield clinic is all they have. In a small garden next to the building, some members of the community have planted and continue to tend to their vegetables. These people depend on clinics like these for advice, treatment, and in this case, somewhere to grow a source of food.
The service for TB patients seems to hang on, but only by its fingertips.
