Patients face long queues at Rob Ferreira Hospital as file and pharmacy counters sit understaffed

Patients at Rob Ferreira Hospital continue to face long delays to receive care despite recent repairs to the facility, The Citizen reports. The longest waits are at file collection and the pharmacy, where visitors say counters are often unattended and understaffed.

Where the delays are happening

According to The Citizen, long waiting periods at file collection and the pharmacy remain a major hurdle for people using the Mbombela tertiary facility. Patients told Lowvelder that they must place their files on the counter and wait to be called, and some said staff do not prioritise the elderly or those who are critical.

Patients describe hours in queues

The Citizen reports patients who said they wait for more than four hours at the pharmacy before being called to collect medication or told to return the following day, only to wait another three hours before prescriptions are filled. Many patients blamed a shortage of staff, saying that at times only one person serves more than 20 people.

Patients report 5-hour delays, The Citizen adds.

Voices from the queue

Devon Brummer (63) told The Citizen he finishes on time in other departments but faces delays at file collection and the pharmacy. He said:

“They need to improve these departments. People cannot wait for hours at file collection before they can see a doctor, and then another three hours to collect medication. Some of the officials eat while assisting us, while others go on lunch, leaving us stranded.”

Nokuthula Mnisi (58) told The Citizen she arrives at the hospital by 05:00 to secure her file and sometimes only receives it after 10:00, before queuing another three to four hours at the pharmacy. She said:

“Some of the staff try to make everything go smoothly, but the waiting is too much. The doctors inside push the line, but file collection is the challenge. At times the counters are empty, with only two or three people assisting the large number of people in the queues. That is not fair; we have people who are in pain, the elderly and children who just want to get help and go home.”

Calls for management action and official response

Other patients told The Citizen they want hospital management to intervene to speed up file collection and pharmacy lines and to address staff shortages. The Citizen reports that the spokesperson for the Mpumalanga Department of Health, Dumisani Malamule, acknowledged the media enquiry but had not provided a response by the time of publication.