Deteriorating State of Birchleigh North Clinic: An NHI warning shot

By Cllr. Hector Bogopane: DA City of Ekurhuleni PR Councillor

Date: 17 February 2025
Release: Immediate

Appalling conditions at the Birchleigh North Clinic highlights everything that is wrong with the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) Act that was steamrolled through by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This clinic, however, is representative of a broader crisis within healthcare facilities across the city and the country.

The Health and Social Development Oversight Committee recently published its site visit report on the Birchleigh North Clinic, and it paints a dire picture of the realities faced by both patients and staff:

· Overcrowding;

· Excessively long queues;

· Dilapidated infrastructure; and

· A severe lack of essential resources are just some of the issues highlighted.

The challenges observed at Birchleigh North are a microcosm of the systemic issues plaguing our healthcare system — deficient budget management, staff shortages and low morale, breaches of patient confidentiality, medicine shortages and inadequate storage, and a lack of contingency plans.

These are not isolated incidents; they are symptomatic of a deeper, historical rot brought about by successive ANC governments.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) demands urgent intervention to address the critical issues at Birchleigh North Clinic and other similar facilities across the city.

The DA would like to reassure residents that at both national and provincial levels we are fighting against the NHI to ensure that our residents are rendered quality, equitable and affordable healthcare.

Media Enquiries:

Cllr. Hector Bogopane
DA City of Ekurhuleni PR Councillor
082 648 8070