By Lee-Yandra Paulsen
Western Cape healthcare facilities have introduced systems to reduce patient waiting times this winter, requesting that patients arrive 30 minutes early. The Western Cape Government’s Health and Wellness Department aims to improve efficiency and patient experience during the peak season.
Monique Johnstone, Communication Officer for the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness, explained the process: “This system has been in place for a few years, so it is not something new. We just want to inform patients how they can make use of it. With winter upon us, many people are visiting healthcare facilities. These cold and wet conditions bring a set of challenges.”
Johnstone emphasized that the Department of Health and Wellness has implemented an appointment system to help reduce long waiting times. “You can schedule your visits at our clinics, which will make your visit more convenient. We are aware that people are queuing at 5 a.m. or even 4 a.m., which we discourage,” she said.
Johnstone clarified that their facilities open at 7:30 a.m. She advised people to arrive 30 minutes to an hour before their appointments rather than coming hours early. Arriving too early means being left in the cold and wet conditions for long hours, posing risks to their safety and health.
“We encourage people to use the appointment system. If they need to reschedule, they should inform the facility to receive a new appointment time,” Johnstone said. “Our facilities have operational times and arriving at 5 o’clock in the morning is a risk to your safety and health as there is no staff on duty at that time. If anything happens to you, there is no staff to assist you at five in the morning.”
Johnstone discussed the system’s success: “It is a work in progress. Not all our facilities get it right, but we have systems in place. If there is an issue with waiting times at certain facilities, our management teams work on improving it by ensuring more staff on duty or better folder management systems. We aim to streamline the process for our patients.”
Johnstone also mentioned that they have offsite locations where people can collect their chronic medication closer to home.
“We have e-lockers where we give patients a pin number. It is convenient for them to just punch in a pin and get their medication without queuing at facilities. If people have concerns, we also have a complaints system. They can contact the facility manager while they are at the facility, call our complaints hotline at 079 769 1207, or email service@westerncape.gov.za. We will address concerns as soon as possible,” concluded Johnstone.
VOC News
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