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New patients

If you’re a new patient, you’ll need to take any form of identification with you on your first visit. If you don’t have an ID, you must provide your ID details to reception in order to open a medical folder for you. This will only be done on the understanding that you’ll verify your ID information as soon as possible. You’ll also need to provide the following details:

• your home address,
• proof of address (for example a bank statement, however, if you can’t provide this the verbal address provided will also be accepted),
• your contact number, and
• details of your next-of-kin.

Returning patients

If you’re an existing patient, you’ll need to produce your clinic card. If you’ve lost the card, you’ll be issued with a new one once your details are retrieved from the system. You’ll also be required to produce your most recent payslip or unemployment or pension card.

Remember, you’ll ever be turned away, even if you have no documentation whatsoever.

If I have a medical issue, how do I know if I should visit a clinic or hospital?

You’ll only need to go to a hospital if you’ve been referred by a doctor - either from the MPCHC or another medical practice in the area. If you’re a walk-in patient you’ll go to the MPCHC directly, irrespective of your condition, in order to be assessed and referred if needed.

If you’re in need of ambulance assistance and your triage code is orange or more, you’ll be taken to the hospital directly.

Are there differences in the level of services provided at the MPCHC and the local hospital respectively?

Similar to hospitals, the MPCHC provides a wide spectrum of primary healthcare services for example TB detection, eye care, and X-ray services. Our maternity obstetrics unit, in turn, performs normal vaginal deliveries (NVDs) only – all cases of foetal or maternal distress, and any case requiring a possible C-section will be referred to hospital. 

 

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Appointments

Should I make an appointment?

To help reduce your waiting times, make an appointment at reception. If the date indicated on your appointment card is fully booked, ask for the next available date.  You’ll receive a printed sticker with your personal information, as well as the date and time of your confirmed appointment.

What happens if I missed my appointment?

If you missed your appointment with the doctor, the only alternative is to wait in line with a number. Because of the high volume of patients, those issued with numbers are unfortunately not guaranteed to see a doctor on the same day.

You’ll be assessed by the nursing staff and, based on your assessment, you’ll either:

1) be seen after all the other appointments have been attended to, or

2) you’ll be asked to return the following day (or another day, depending on how full the clinic is).

You'll be issued with a Deferral note with the return date written on the note. If you present that note on the return date you will be given priority and be attended to before any other un-booked patients.

Why aren’t there more doctors?

First contact will always be an assessment by a nurse, as PHC services are nurse-driven and only extraordinary cases are escalated to the doctors on duty.  The doctors are here to support the nurses and to manage the trauma and emergencies on a daily basis. 

 

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Triage and referral systems

How do the triage and referral systems work?

The Western Cape Department of Health wants to improve your experience when accessing public healthcare and ensure that you get the right treatment at the correct level of care. 

It’s important to remember that not all emergencies are equally urgent.

When arriving at a healthcare centre, you’ll be assessed by a healthcare worker and given a colour corresponding to how severe your condition is. 

Green:                  You’ll be seen when a healthcare worker is available

Yellow:                  You’ll be seen as soon as possible

Orange:                You’ll be seen urgently

Red:                       You must be seen immediately

Referrals 

• Once at your clinic, your condition will be assessed and treatment will be determined, which may require a referral for follow-up or specialised treatments either at the clinic or at a nearby hospital.  

Triage (Emergency Room care)

• More urgent and life-threatening cases will receive medical care first.

An easy way to remember this is to think of it as a traffic light system. See below:

 

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Chronic disease management

I’ve been diagnosed with a chronic disease. What’s the next step?

The doctor will write a follow-up appointment date on your appointment card, which will indicate if you’re a candidate for the chronic club.

Take your appointment card to any window at the main reception and make the booking.  Once your appointment has been made the reception staff will paste a printed sticker on your card with your details and the date and time of your appointment.

Please be sure to arrive on time for your appointment.

What are Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle Chronic Clubs?

The Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle Chronic Clubs are those service areas of the CHC where the chronic (long-term) and clinically stable patients are managed. The clubs see patients every 6 months on average, to make the visits as convenient as possible, with minimal disruption to the patient’s life. This way, patients are more likely to remain in care, which is the aim of treatment – to keep patients in a stable condition at the primary care level and to prevent complications and unnecessary hospital admissions.

Who qualifies for the Chronic Clubs?

Patients diagnosed with a chronic disease (whose disease is controlled, who adhere to the recommended lifestyle changes and who manage their medication regimes) are referred to the Chronic Clubs. These patients are considered stable and only need to see a clinician twice a year for a check-up.

At the Chronic Clubs, patients are seen on an appointment basis, at 7am, 9am and 11am every week day (excluding public holidays). Appointments can be made at the main reception, where the patient will receive a printed sticker confirming the appointment date and time.

What services are delivered by the Chronic Clubs?

You can access the following services at a MPCHC Chronic Club:

• general health observations and routine bloods,
• retinal screening,
• healthcare education - advisory services on lifestyle disease management,
• nutrition services and BMI management,
• therapeutic and community support groups, and
• home-based care referrals.

What types of Chronic Club are there?

Chronic Club A (CCA) and Chronic Club B (CCB) have been integrated into 1 club called Integrated Chronic Care Club (ICCC). The roles and functions of this 1 service point are:

• Patients with Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle (for example diabetes, hypertension, asthma, epilepsy, and chronic obstructive airways disease (COPD), plus various forms of arthritis). We also refer to these diseases as Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). 
• Our ARV Clinic looks after HIV positive patients for life. The principle of management is lifelong treatment and lifestyle modification.

How do I access the therapeutic or support groups and other services offered at the club?

The therapeutic and support group sessions are arranged by the health promoters for those patients newly diagnosed and accepted into the club. They’ll counsel and assess you and recommend the appropriate services for you.

 

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Trauma and emergency services

I’ve been involved in an accident/assault and I need to have a form completed for a police report.  What should I do?

If you’ve been in an accident or assaulted, the police will require a J88-form to be completed by the doctor who treated you. This form is required for court purposes only and not to open a case at the police station. 

You’ll then need to take the J88 form to MPCHC for completion when the medical examination is done. However, in many cases the doctor won’t be able to complete the forms immediately as it’s quite a lengthy process. In such cases we submit copies of the medical notes with the J88-form to the police station. You may be asked to return to the facility in a few days to collect the form.

My family and I brought our child or parent or sibling to the trauma unit and the security staff won’t let us in.  What should I do?

We understand that you’re worried about your loved one and would want to know how they are doing, but because of privacy issues and limited space inside the trauma unit, each patient is only allowed 1 escort in order to avoid congestion at the facility, unless otherwise stated in our escort policy.

We ask that you please respect this rule while we see to your loved one.

I’ve been sick for 3 days now and I’m not getting better.  Should I go to the trauma unit?

If you’ve been sick for a few days and aren’t getting better, you should visit the trauma unit.  The nurses at the triage room will assess you and give you information on your condition. 

Once you’re given this information, you can decide on whether you want to wait to be seen or if you want to return during our normal operating hours.