BRIAN and Pat Malick, pensioners from Eldorado Park, woke up at 3am on Monday to line up at St John Eye Hospital in Soweto.

The hospital is part of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital complex.

The Malicks' mission was to collect medication for their partially blind son. They secured the fourth spot at 4am and waited until 7am to see the administrators.

"We come here every month and three times this year we did not get the correct eye drops. We are pensioners, we can't afford to buy medication at the chemists."

An outpatient nurse, who did not want to be named, said the hospital did not have Alomide, Fluorometholone or Natural Tears eye drops. She said they prescribed alternative medication to patients.

Sowetan visited the hospital on Monday and found a notice on the dispensary counter. It read: "Repeat prescription collected from Monday to Thursday from 7.30am to 11am, not Fridays."

Theresa Setlou from Mapetla in Soweto said she only received the night treatment for her eyes.

She is a pensioner and stretches her grant money to support five people. "Natural Tears costs R200 at the chemist. That is too much to take out from the R1325 I get," she said.

Patients are enraged by the continual lack of medicine.

For over five months the hospital has been issuing substitute eye treatments to their patients or allowing them to leave empty handed.

"The hospital owes a lot of money to stock companies. Once they cannot pay them, they jump to the next one.

"They have now exhausted all their options," said a nurse who did not want to be named.

Chris Hani Baragwanath CEO Sandile Mfenyana was not available for comment .

The Stop Stock Outs Project reported last week that Chris Hani Baragwanath was one of many hospitals hit by shortages of medicines.

Gauteng health departmental spokesman Prince Hamnca said the province's medical depot had a 77% stock level and was monitoring the levels on a daily basis.

He said all the anaesthetic and psychiatric medicines were available.

"Shortages of Panado and antibiotics have been reduced. The fixed dose antiretroviral combination is available in sufficient levels," he said, adding that more deliveries were expected yesterday at Chris Hani Baragwanath and Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospitals.

"The shortages were noted when various hospitals complained. The national Department of Health issued notices to suppliers [who] were also given seven days to deliver all outstanding orders."

sigasaz@sowetan.co.za

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