Healthcare facilities across the Buffalo City Metro and Chris Hani district are battling crumbling infrastructure, weak security and staff shortages that are undermining service delivery and putting the safety of patients at risk. The extent of the crisis was revealed in a damning oversight report tabled in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature in Bhisho on Tuesday, after MPLs visited several health facilities in the two regions in late 2025. Presenting the findings of the visits during a virtual sitting, health portfolio committee chair and ANC MPL Kholiswa Vimbayo said many facilities were operating under severe strain, amid deteriorating buildings, limited equipment and persistent staffing gaps.
“Most of these visited facilities are confronted with ageing, deteriorating infrastructure that undermines service delivery and patient safety,” Vimbayo said. She said security was a major concern, with inadequate fencing, limited security personnel and high crime rates compromising the safety of patients, staff and property. MPLs visited the Empilweni Community Health Centre (CHC) in Gompo, Nontyatyambo CHC in Mdantsane, Amahleke Clinic in Dimbaza and the Greenfields, Qurhu, Potsdam and Mncotsho clinics, all in BCM.
In the Chris Hani district, oversight was conducted at the Elliot district hospital, Elliot Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Sifonondile Clinic in Cala. Among the problems identified were leaking roofs, broken windows, shortage of essential medical equipment, faulty machinery, lack of a regular water supply, poor access for disabled patients and pit latrines unsuitable for the sick, elderly and people with disabilities. Facilities were also found to be overcrowded, with insufficient consulting and waiting rooms, no designated storage areas for medical waste and filing systems that were described as being in disarray.
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At the Nontyatyambo CHC, the committee found that doors and ceilings in consulting rooms were “deteriorating”, while windows in the security guard room and the glass door at the dental entrance were broken. “Although calls have been logged, repairs are still pending supplier action,” Vimbayo said. “The number of consulting rooms in that facility is insufficient, and many lack proper ventilation, with some rooms not equipped with air conditioners.
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