After long wait for anaesthetics, water shortages still halt dental care at North West clinic
Health-e News After long wait for anaesthetics, water shortages still halt dental care at North West clinic Patients at Itsoseng Community Health Centre in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in North West waited months for dental care because of anaesthetic shortages. Now stock has arrived, but intermittent water supply means some dental procedures still cannot be performed. When Tefo Mmokwa (42)…
Patients at the Itsoseng Community Health Centre in North West waited months for dental care due to anaesthetic shortages. Although the supply of anaesthetics has arrived, intermittent water supply still hampers some dental procedures. Tefo Mmokwa, a self-employed artist, was turned away from the center during the Easter holidays due to a lack of water and local anaesthetics.
He had to travel 60km to Mahikeng Provincial Hospital, incurring additional costs and sleepless nights. Kenalemang Thukgwe, another patient, was turned away from Itsoseng multiple times this year and had to rely on mouthwash and painkillers for her rotten tooth pain. Water shortage at the clinic has hindered dental procedures for years, and Dr. Bulela Vava, a dentist, warns that disrupted water supply affects infection prevention and safe dental care.
The North West Department of Health attributes the anaesthetic shortage to global supply chain disruptions, but the problem has persisted for over a decade.
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