Cape Town - Hanover Park’s health clinic has been forced to reduce its operational hours by half as the threat to staff and patients have been increased in recent weeks by gangsters running amok at the premises.
Only its maternity unit will remain a 24-hour operation.
The Hanover Park Community Health Centre (CHC), which is usually a 24-hour facility, has since December 2 been forced to operate for only 12 hours a day, from 7am to 7pm.
Health Department spokeswoman Monique Johnstone said the reduced operating hours were due to a number
of criminal incidents “from gangsters shooting on the facility’s establishment, stolen security cameras, damage to infrastructure, robbing patients at gunpoint and the most recent incident where a security guard was assaulted by a gang member".
The incident took place on November 30, when shots were fired in the main courtyard of the hospital.
Johnstone said emergency cases would now be transported by EMS to the Heideveld Emergency Centre and Groote Schuur Hospital.