Outrage over neglect: A child's harrowing experience at Heideveld Day Clinic

A Manenberg mother has expressed her shock and horror after her young son was allegedly neglected at Heideveld Day Clinic (CDC) on Monday June 9.

The incident, which was shared by the family in a video clip, had also highlighted concerns about the state of public healthcare services. 

The young boy, whose identity has been withheld to protect his privacy, was taken to the clinic by his grandmother at around 5pm after complaining of widespread pain.

According to the boy's mother, who had arrived at the clinic a while later after leaving work, learned that her son had not been attended to, despite his evident suffering.

Instead, he was reportedly placed in a makeshift area filled with soiled clothing, cleaning supplies, and bloody bedding.

The mother recounted her frantic rush from work only to find her son still waiting for treatment. "By midnight on Sunday, he was still not seen to. I decided that I would take him home because no one was seeing to him," she said.

She said that health staff suggested a referral to Groote Schuur Hospital, but only after saying that her son's condition was not serious. They left the clinic just after 2 am.

GOOD party councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli expressed his disappointment, labelling the experience as a reflection of a "broken, underfunded" healthcare system that requires immediate intervention.

"The room, which reportedly doubles as a space to rinse bedpans, is clearly not fit for human care. It has been alleged that even the clothing of deceased patients is stored there, and that stray cats roam the facility freely, posing serious health risks to vulnerable patients.

"No one should be subjected to this kind of neglect in a public facility, least of all children The right to health is enshrined in our Constitution, yet incidents like this show how far we are from realising equality," he said. 

In response, Samantha Lee-Jacobs, spokeswoman for the provincial health and wellness department's Klipfontein/Mitchells Plain substructure, stated that the patient was attended to in what they referred to as the fracture room, allegedly used to prioritise the privacy of minor patients during times of overflow from the emergency department.

“Heideveld EC is in the process of clearing clutter to improve patient experience. We can assure our patients that there is no medical waste contained in the room. The Western Cape department of health and wellness acknowledge the frustration of both mother and patient in the Heideveld EC video.

"We sincerely apologise for the unintended negative experience she and her son encountered," she said.