Early morning queues reveal healthcare desperation in PMB

The desperation for accessible medical care was clear in Northdale on Saturday, as residents began arriving in the early hours of the morning to receive free treatment during the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa medical wing’s annual outreach programme. Many people queued long before the gates opened at 7 am at WA Lewitt Primary School. Healthcare professionals from the public and private sectors, as well as retired practitioners, volunteered their time to assist patients with a range of medical conditions.

Retired nursing manager and Ramakrishna Centre member Sugen Pillay said the outreach programme has been running for more than five decades. This initiative has been carried out for over 50 years as part of the humanitarian work of the Ramakrishna Centre. “We aim to reach indigent and needy communities and ensure that people who may not have easy access to specialised medical services can receive the care they need,” said Pillay.

He said the outreach brought together medical specialists from government and private practice to provide services that are often difficult to access in the public healthcare system because of high demand. All services were provided free of charge through the work of medical and non-medical volunteers, with support from private laboratories and paramedics. Services offered included audiology, ear, nose and throat consultations, immunisation, occupational therapy, paediatrics, physiotherapy, psychiatry, optometry and ultrasound examinations.

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Pillay said the Pietermaritzburg branch of the Ramakrishna Centre also runs a clinic at its Ashram every second month. The organisation also assists Northdale Hospital with a cataract surgery programme aimed at reducing the hospital’s surgical backlog.

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