By Rochelle de Kock

The owner of Trafalgar Square, which houses a clinic in North End, has closed its doors because the Eastern Cape health department has not paid rent for the past three months.

“Clinic closed. Rent not paid”, reads the sign on the doors of Trafalgar Square clinic for the past three days.

The well-known family planning clinic services about 3000 patients a month. But now the patients are forced to seek health care elsewhere.

“I‘m tired of phoning Bhisho about the rent because they just don‘t care,” said owner John Cuyler. He only started having problems a year and a half ago when the department stopped paying their monthly rent.

The department owes him R25000 for the past three months.

Cuyler said he waited for a year and three months before he eventually received an amount of R130000 in February this year.

“I threatened to sue them and close the doors of the clinic, and only then did they pay.

“Now they‘re doing the same thing again, so I had to close,” said Cuyler.

Eastern Cape health department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said he was not aware of the situation at the clinic until he was contacted by The Herald.

“I will ask the officials in Bhisho to look into the matter and act speedily.”

Kupelo said it was “unacceptable” to have primary care clinics closed, and the matter will be dealt with.

“I feel really bad for the people coming here looking for help, and the nurses who‘ve had to just move to other clinics,” said Cuyler. The clinic will remain closed until further notice.

Source: The Herald