Following an announcement by the Provincial Health Department to relocate the Hanover Park Day Hospital, residents have come out in anger citing the already sparse availability of healthcare facilities. The closure of the Hanover Park hospital, along with the closure of Manenberg’s GF Jooste Hospital, has effectively resulted in the approximately 1.3 million residents within surrounding communities to flock to alternate health facilities, a financial set-back for the already impoverished residents.

Civil organisations have now voiced concern about the impact of the reduced facilities and the exhausting of alternate healthcare facilities taking on patients who would otherwise attend GF Jooste.

Manenberg community member, Michelle Klaasen explains that the City of Cape Town decided to close the hospital without having consulted with the affected communities about the impact the decision will have on those who live within the vicinity.

She adds that given the fact that Jooste was an emergency servicing hospital; residents from Manenberg do not have an alternate 24 hour health service facility.

“When people have to use a day-care centre they have to either attend Heideveld day hospital or Hanover Park, whereas we all know that people are not able to travel.”

Klaasen confirmed that a petition was conducted in 2011 with the opening of the upgraded trauma unit in the Jooste hospital, the upgrade of which was funded by Oasis Crescent Management.

“We did draw up a petition as community members and health committee members and we did take a memorandum of understanding to Parliament. But when we got there the opposition party came out and signed for the MOU and nothing happened after that.”

As Manenberg residents have no access to a day hospital or emergency services, Klaasen says that residents are now concerned with the decrease in medical facilities with the closure of GF Jooste.

She further notes the City’s call for the closure of Silverstream High to facilitate the availability of space for the construction of a hospital, a plan that was ultimately widely criticized by residents.

“There was nothing wrong with Jooste hospital; we as the community only asked for two wings…for the children and a MOU for the pregnant people.”

Following a public meeting in 2016, Klaasen says that the way forward remains uncertain.

The Western Cape Health Department was unavailable for comment. VOC