Patients using Commercial City Clinic in Durban Central say they are routinely expected to buy their own pregnancy tests and notebooks for medical records.

Phumelele Mnguni, a patient at the clinic, says if patients miss their date for the injectable contraceptive, they’re expected to buy their own pregnancy tests. The contraceptive shots are given every three months. When women get the jab, they are given a date for the next shot – missing this date increases the risk of pregnancy. 

The test is taken to confirm that women are not pregnant before they receive the contraceptive. 

“I don’t know why the clinic doesn’t have pregnancy tests. It’s expensive for us to buy, but if we don’t then we won’t get help,” she says.  

Obstacles to removing contraceptive implant

One patient who asked not to be named says she went to the clinic last month to have the contraceptive implant removed. She was told to return a week later because the clinic didn’t have the equipment to remove the flexible plastic rod. 

Upon her return to the clinic, she was turned away a second time. 

“The nurses came out and told those of us in the queue that the department only delivered ten instruments and we might not get help,” she says. “They said we are free to try another clinic.” 

She was eventually able to get the implant removed at Lancers Road Clinic, another government facility in Durban. 

The implant is a long-acting contraceptive that is inserted into a woman’s upper arm through a small incision in the skin. The contraceptive lasts for three years.  

Patients say the treatment at the clinic is made worse by the frequent water shortages.

Thembela Gwala wanted to remove a contraceptive loop or intrauterine device – a long-acting contraceptive device inserted into the uterus. 

“The nurse simply came out and informed me that they had no water, advising me to seek assistance at another clinic due to this ongoing water crisis.”

Unavailability of medicine

Another patient who is on antiretroviral treatment says she sometimes had to make multiple trips to the facility to get her medicine.

“I had to visit this clinic three times in one week. During my first visit, I waited for hours, only to be told that my medication was unavailable,” she says.

“It’s incredibly disappointing to receive such inadequate service, especially when we rely on medical assistance. We may be facing financial challenges, but that should not dictate the quality of healthcare we receive. We deserve better treatment.”

The KwaZulu-Natal health department didn’t respond to our media query. – Health-e News