Johannesburg - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) caucus in the City of Tshwane on Thursday tabled a motion for city health centres to operate 24 hours a day, every day of the week.
This follows the successful motion by their counterparts in Johannesburg last year that saw the council agree to provide around the clock service at health centres around the city.
"The City of Tshwane currently has 24 clinics and two mobile clinics, that is not enough to cater for the more than 3.1 million residents' needs, the majority of whom depend on the public health system," the party said on Thursday.
The party decried a shortage of nursing staff especially in township clinics, long queues that start as early as 5am and a shortage of medicine at some centres.
Other demands include that chronic medication be delivered to patients who are unable to collect their medicines themselves, mobile clinics be provided on a 24-hour basis in areas such as informal settlements where there are no health centres, and that all clinics experiencing patient overload be supplemented with mobile clinics.
The motion will be debated in council on later on Thursday.