A crisis is festering in clinics across Nelson Mandela Bay, with some reportedly experiencing staff challenges and shortages of key medical supplies, including insulin for diabetic patients.
The provincial health department said it was working on rectifying the issue of intermittent supplies.
Spokesperson Siyanda Manana said the primary driver of the situation had been payment challenges, which resulted in some providers temporarily closing department accounts and withholding deliveries.
Additional funds had since been made available to address the issue, he said, adding that when new or emerging challenges were identified, the department would act immediately.
But his assurances did little to appease those who had been directly affected by the situation for weeks.
An official at the Edameni Clinic in KwaNobuhle said staff had to use their own resources last week to fetch chronic medication at a depot.
At a clinic in Bethelsdorp, a mother and son were allegedly turned away because a limit of 100 patients had been reached on the day, despite the fact that the son had been vomiting profusely.
A stone’s throw away in KwaNobuhle, diabetic Morgan Masimela, 40, said they had experienced severe shortages of medicine at the Mabandla Clinic.
The clinic provides services to residents in wards 45 and 47.
Masimela claimed infants and toddlers were being turned away due to a lack of immunisation stock.
“It is very bad not to immunise children because they can face illnesses such as polio,” he said.
“And then you have elderly people who are diabetic and depend on chronic medication.”
He claimed those lucky to receive insulin were not provided with syringes with which to administer it.
Masimela said he had not received all of his diabetes medication from early October to late November.
“I have not had my full medication, which resulted in me being admitted to hospital during the festive season.
“I was only discharged on December 16.
“I was also diagnosed with an infection in the left kidney.”
He said nurses had blamed the department for the delivery woes.
A resident, who asked not to be named, said her sister had gone to the clinic to get medication but was not assisted.
“She has high blood pressure and has had a stroke before,” the resident said.
“She was told that there was no treatment for her.
“I don’t know what is going on at this clinic.”
Another resident said she was diabetic and had gone to the clinic for treatment but was told it was not available.
“I have high blood pressure,” she said.
“They gave me a box of Panamol but not the treatment I needed.
“I decided to visit the chemist.
“I was told to bring a prescription.
“I could not get it from the clinic because the doctor will only be available in February.”
Another resident said her father had gone to the clinic several times to get his blood pressure medication but could not be assisted.
Meanwhile, Thulisa Mooi said she took her five-year-old son to the Govan Mbeki Clinic in Bethelsdorp on Tuesday.
“They know that he vomits a lot and when he doesn’t get his medication, he gets seizures,” she said.
“She [nurse] said I must wait from 8am and that he was not the first one to get sick.
“They never opened the gate for me.
“I had to leave with him. He is still sick.”
Community leader Tamsanqa Nkevu said these concerns were rife but staff at clinics were scared to speak out about the challenges.
“Clinics here in KwaNobuhle do not get medicine.
“This has been a growing concern.
“Our nurses also complain but they are scared.
“Do you mean to tell me that our lives do not matter?”
Manana said the department was aware of intermittent stock availability challenges affecting certain chronic medicines in some clinics.
“The department became aware of these challenges through routine supply chain monitoring mechanisms, facility reports and engagements with depot management and service delivery platforms,” Manana said.
He said the department had engaged with affected suppliers through structured negotiations and had prioritised settlement of outstanding invoices.
It had also implemented remedial measures during the budget adjustment period, “during which additional funds were made available to address supplier payments”.
Manana said several supplier accounts had since been reopened and deliveries had resumed.
He said Mabandla, Edameni and other clinics in the Bay were affected by broader supply constraints linked to payment delays and reduced delivery capacity over the festive period when operations were run with skeleton staff across the supply chain.
“The department does not dispute that patients at these facilities may have experienced challenges in accessing certain chronic medicines,” he said.
“However, contingency measures, including therapeutic substitutions where clinically appropriate, inter-facility borrowing, and partial dispensing with follow-up collections, were implemented to mitigate the impact on patients while normal supply processes were being restored.”
Manana said insulin availability had been a national challenge since early 2025, which resulted in intermittent supply across the provinces.
He said the department had since issued a clinical guidance outlining measures to manage insulin shortages, including the use of clinically appropriate alternative insulin formulations to ensure continuity of care.
The status of the Mabandla and Edameni clinics at present, he said, reflected the gradual stabilisation of chronic medication availability.
“Deliveries to the depots and onward distribution to the facilities are ongoing, and stock levels are being monitored closely,” Manana said.
Eastern Cape Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) chair Vuyo Nodlawu said they had received reports that there had been a shortage of medication at the clinics, especially chronic medication for hypertension.
Nodlawu said this was due to the shortage of staff within the medical depot.
“This has a negative impact on service delivery which is already ailing,” Nodlawu said.
“Hence, we call upon the department to shape up and appoint staff, especially with regard to the critical vacancies.
“We are going to put all necessary pressure on the department until it delivers.”
The Herald
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