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CHRONIC MEDICATION SHORTAGE CRISIS
Elderly in deadly struggle with clinic
LIZEKA TANDWA
T
HE shortage of much needed chronic medication at government health facilities in Nelson Mandela Bay has severely affected the lives of many elderly people with some saying that not only is their health put at risk, but they are also being forced to spend most of their small pensions on expensive medicine they have to buy from pharmacies. Elderly residents who are patients at Walmer Clinic say they have not received their blood pressure and cholesterol medication for six months now and many have been forced to purchase expensive medication from commercial pharmacies to survive. Nelson Mandela Bay Health district manager, Dr Mbasa Mayekiso, said they hadexperienced challenges with a new routing system which resulted in them not being able to adequately place orders made by clinics. They hadalso had problems with their delivery system. Hazel Watkins, a 76-year-old who suffers from chronic emphysema and osteoporosis, needs a monthly prescription of oxygen pumps to survive. Since she moved to Walm-
er Clinic for her medicine and care, Hazel said she has not been able to receive her regular monthly dose of medication with her only option being to buy expensive prescription medication from a local pharmacy. Watkins, who survives from the R2 700 pension she and her husband Barry receive monthly, said over R700 of that is spent on her medication. “We are living in terrible conditions. It’s as if the clinic and government don’t care about the elderly. I don’t want to seem like I complain but after 22 years of paying taxes and being a productive member of society, I never thought that this is the reward I would get in my own country,” said an emotional Hazel. Out of their pension money the Watkins couple say R1 820 goes towards their rent with only R180 left over. Hazel said on many occasions she has been forced to wait for hours to get her medication. “At one time Barry had to push my wheelchair from where we live at 17th Avenue to 14th Avenue. When we came back from the clinic after waiting for over six hours for help, my husband collapsed of dehydration because it is a very steep hill to our home.”
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EDITOR: BETTIE GILIOMEE
Museum dons aviation art
Don Bell of Port Elizabeth is a worldrenowned aviation artist. A selection of his exquisite oil paintings and pencil drawings are permanently on display in the Don Bell Aviation Art Gallery at the South African Air Force Museum in the Bay. Read more about Don and his art on page 8. PHOTO:ANNA PAUW