I wish to complain about the municipal clinic in Brackenhurst.
I have a very ill son at home suffering with chronic renal failure. He was in the intensive care unit at Netcare Clinton Hospital for four months and then transferred to Morningside for a further two months.
As we are in and out of hospital we had to get a full-time, well-trained nanny that can look after our son as we still need to work.
Our nanny suffers from severe hypertension (high blood pressure). We had her at several pharmacies and they advised us to get our nanny on treatment for her blood pressure.
I am a qualified Biokineticist and started treating her with an intervention programme that includes a well-balanced diet, exercise and weight loss. I also took her blood pressure at home to see if we were getting anywhere. Her blood pressure still remained the same and at times higher which is an indication that her illness could be chronic and genetic disease.
I then took her to the clinic in Brackenhurst in January where she was told to leave as they are now closing as it is Friday and they close early.
In April I took her again and the clinic wasn’t even open and no sister or medical personnel were to be seen.
On June 30, I took her in again. After 11.30am my nanny called me to fetch her. I asked her if she got medication for the blood pressure. She told me that they only gave her medication for headaches and pain and that they were unable to take her blood pressure as the electricity was off.
To my knowledge, any qualified healthcare professional should be able to take blood pressure manually.
When I asked to see the sister to help us, they took me to a room where I had to wait my turn and the sister was busy consulting.
After a long time, I went to the front desk to ask how long I must wait when I noticed a sign stating that the waiting time for assistance is two-three hours.
I went back to the room and knocked to see why things are taking so long just to see that the door is locked. A person cannot consult behind a locked door.
I went to ask to see the matron. A sister then came to take my nanny’s blood pressure, with a machine and called me back to come get my ‘maid’. I was very upset with this remark as the sister considered herself superior and humiliated my nanny in front of a lot of people.
I then got a number for the matron and I insisted on seeing that my nanny has a file with all the correct information and recorded results.
The sisters didn’t even weigh my nanny or take a copy of her ID document. They said to come back the next week between Monday and Thursday as they close early on a Friday and she is not a high-risk case.
It took them a while to get hold of the file as well, while my very sick baby was in the car. The reply I got was terrifying: “Bring your baby into the clinic we are used to having babies that scream here”.
As I got home, I called the matron on the number given to me only to get a Germiston shop on the line. I then called the clinic again several times to find the line is busy.
I am really unhappy with the treatment at the clinic and according to the Health and Fitness Professionals Association (HFPA) this is not the type of treatment to give to any person sworn under oath, not to endanger any life whilst being in a medical profession.
I would really like to take this matter further.
Chantelle Feuth
RECORD contacted the EMM for comment and they relayed that they will contact the Department of Health and get back to us – the RECORD is still awaiting comment.
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