GOOD Statement by Peter de Villiers,
GOOD Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
22 August 2023
GOOD welcomes the decision by the Western Cape Provincial Government to address the issue of eroding healthcare services in Atlantis.
Today, Western Cape Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo and the City of Cape Town MMC for Community Services and Health Patricia van der Ross will conduct oversight visits to Saxon Sea and Protea Park Clinics in Atlantis.
The visit forms part of the vision to expand comprehensive primary health services in the Atlantis community.
GOOD has been calling on the MEC to urgently intervene and ensure quality healthcare for this community, who have been complaining for years that the two primary healthcare clinics in the area are gravely understaffed.
And although this action will bring some short-term relief to the residents of Atlantis, it does not negate the fact that the community is in dire need of a fully-fledged hospital.
The 60,000 strong community is serviced by a 28-bed hospital.
During an oversight visit in July 2022, residents told GOOD they feel neglected because of the poor service they receive at Wesfleur Hospital, which has been housed in temporary facilities for the past 40 years.
This despite promises by the Western Cape provincial government to build a permanent facility with adequate medical staff and equipment to accommodate the influx of patients.
The fact that the DA-led provincial government has failed to build a permanent hospital for the people of Atlantis is a clear indication of their priorities in the province.
Public healthcare has been on the decline for years and the poor, marginalised communities continue to bear the brunt of this failure.
Atlantis was created in the early 1970s as a “model industrial node”, within the framework of Apartheid spatial Development Policies.
These policies were designed to physically separate and divide South Africans along racial lines.
The Province and the City seem happy to continue down this path.
Prioritising services in predominately white areas – where the DA voters reside, and leaving mainly black and coloured areas underdeveloped.
The DA administration owes the community of Atlantis one of the most basic services – a decent, reliable, professional, and centralised medical centre.
GOOD urges the Provincial Government to make a firm commitment to providing such a centre within a reasonable time.
Media Enquiries:
Peter De Villiers, GOOD Member of Western Cape Provincial Parliament
Cell: 079 116 8957
Email: devilliers.pt@gmail.com
Samantha Jackson, GOOD Acting Media Manager
Cell: 083 550 9875
Email: media@forgood.org.za