Several health facilities closed due to taxi strike and criminal activity in the Cape Metropole and certain rural areas
The continued taxi strike, violence, and the disruption of transport in the Cape Metropole as well as certain rural areas has resulted in several health facilities being closed, services suspended and a reduced capacity across the region.
On Monday morning, many staff members were unable to get to their place of work because of roads being closed off and incidents of violence in certain areas.
“We remain committed to the safety of our staff who are caught in the middle of these incidents of violence and disruption. Certain facilities within the Metropole are closed today and community-based care to our vulnerable clients in these areas has unfortunately also been suspended until it is safe for our staff to go into them,” said Dr Saadiq Kariem, Chief of Operations at the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness.
“We are in regular communication with the Provincial Joint Operations Centre to monitor the safety of both our staff and patients. Unfortunately, we are again forced to operate at a reduced capacity within the Cape Metropole as well as certain rural areas” he added.
We advise the public of the following service implications that the strike action and subsequent criminal activities will have today:
Central Hospitals (Tygerberg, Red Cross and Groote Schuur Hospital)
Community Health Centres and Clinics
Emergency Medical Services and Forensic Pathology Services
“We will continue to monitor the situation and keep our staff and the public informed of any changes to the provision of health care. We are thankful to our staff who again showed up with resilience, today and over the weekend, as they continue to go beyond the call of duty in making sure we can provide health care to those in need, ” Dr Kariem added.