Two months after it was opened for public use, the Borwa Clinic in Tweespruit, Free State, has yet to hire additional staff. The new, bigger facility still relies on the same workforce that manned the old, smaller building.
The state-of-the-art facility was set to provide a range of essential primary healthcare services, including immunisation, family planning, HIV counselling and testing, and chronic disease management.
However, the community of Borwa is worried that the clinic still has the same number of workers as the old clinic.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Tshepo Namane, a resident of Borwa, says he thought the clinic would hire more staff to ensure faster services. "What is the use of having the same few nurses with nothing changed except the building?" he says.
"There was no use for opening it if they were going to take too long to hire more people. Borwa needs more nurses and doctors. The elderly people are flocking together with other patients in one room, queuing for help instead of having a dedicated health worker for a particular group of patients."
Another patient, 72-year-old Masello Mohale, says the clinic needs a doctor. "Why can't the premier bring a doctor for us? We're going to the clinic, but we don't find a doctor. Most of the elders want a medical doctor who will help us get healed."
According to Mohale, Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae had promised the community that the department would've hired more staff by now.
"She promised us that there'll be more nurses with marshals, but to date, we are hoping to see all the things she mentioned. We are thankful that we have a much bigger clinic, but we need more staff so we can stop getting help late," she adds.
Chairperson of Borwa Clinic Committee, Toto Jacobs, says they were grateful to the government for having built a new clinic and urged the community to take care of the facility.
He also raised a concern that the new clinic is understaffed, with only one cleaner and the security guards deployed from Senorita Nhlabathi District Hospital. He pleaded with leadership to remedy the situation.
"We cannot have this building and not protect it. We need nurses and security officers," Jacobs says.
At the opening of the facility in November 2025, Letsoha-Mathae assured the community that the Department of Health would beef up the staff component as it intends to employ 386 nurses and 66 doctors in the province during the next financial year.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The health department has not yet hired more staff, citing budget constraints. Spokesperson Mondli Mvambi says the department takes note of the requirements of the clinic.
"The department would like to employ many health workers for all the clinics, but it is limited by budget. We have told the residents during the clinic opening that some things will only be done after the tabling of the new budget. We call on professionals to register themselves on our employment portal so that they can easily access information on new recruitment," Mvambi tells Health-e News.
