Washed-away bridge again puts healthcare out of reach for Mafarafara residents

Health-e News Washed-away bridge again puts healthcare out of reach for Mafarafara residents Residents of Mafarafara village outside Burgersfort in Limpopo are again struggling to reach healthcare after a makeshift bridge across the Steelpoort River, also known as the Tubatse River, was washed away by heavy rains.

The community-built crossing, made from corrugated iron, wooden poles, wire and metal rods, lasted less than five months.

Mafarafara has no clinic.

Residents rely on Taung Clinic in Ga-Taung, about six to seven kilometres away.

Using other routes to reach healthcare can cost residents up to R160 for a return trip when using public transport.

In July, Health-e News reported that Mafarafara residents had built the makeshift bridge after 27 years of asking their local municipality for a permanent crossing.

Before the makeshift bridge had been built, elderly residents, heavily pregnant women and patients who were too frail to reach Taung Clinic on foot and unable to afford public transport, had relied on a ‘sewaiwai’ — a steel cart tied to ropes on both sides of the river and pulled across by villagers.

The sewaiwai carried up to four adults and cost R5 for a single trip.

But the cart was damaged and is now out of use.

Residents told Health-e News that this prompted the construction of the makeshift bridge.

Home-based carers had to make use of the same community-built crossings.

Home-based care suspended Following the recent collapse of the makeshift bridge, home-based carers who deliver chronic medication, monitor pregnant women and support bedridden patients told Health-e News they have temporarily suspended services in Mafarafara because they cannot cross the flooded river.

“This may result in patients not accessing healthcare at all,” says Kamogelo*, a homebased carer in Mafarafara.

“We cannot cross to do our work and our patients on the Mafarafara side are currently not receiving their treatment.” “Especially high-risk pregnant women are not being followed up, and it doesn’t risk not only the mother’s life, but also the unborn babies,” she says.