Appalling and *********** Clicks Clinic service

<p>I recently went to the Clicks Clinic at the Sandton City branch on 3 January 2017 for some blood tests. The first issue with this is that this was the third appointment I had made, this very same clinic had not honoured the previous two appointments I had made with the clinic over the phone (the first time the nurse was simply not there and I was turned away in store, and the second time they called me on the day of my appointment and cancelled it).</p> <p> </p> <p>Having finally been able to see a nurse on my third attempt I was informed that I would see the stand-in nurse as the primary nurse was not available. It was clear from the outset that this nurse was not competent to be providing the services I had come for. The nurse was visibly out of his comfort zone and seemed nervous. His incompetence became very apparent when he clearly did not know how to conduct one of the simple blood tests I had come for. He was fumbling about and nervously reading through the instructions on how to administer the test right in front of me! Against my better judgment I allowed him to eventually proceed and draw my blood. After taking a blood sample he tried to conduct the test with my blood. He clearly did not know what he was doing and was not able to obtain a result from the blood test. He flat out told me he would not be able to provide me with a result and proceeded to throw away the test and my blood sample which he had taken in vain in front of me.</p> <p> </p> <p>In addition to his medical incompetence he was also administratively ***********. He did manage to get the result from a different test which he conducted. And while my medical aid has paid for this test in the past, he was not able to process the claim directly from the medical aid. Instead I had to pay cash and now have had to go through the hassle of claiming back the money from my medical aid myself when the claim should have been submitted to them directly by Clicks in the first place as has been done for me in the past.</p> <p> </p> <p>This appalling and *********** medical service is entirely unacceptable. Putting such an unqualified nurse in a clinic to assist patients is reckless and dangerous. This nurse did not in fact even ask me to sign the usual indemnity forms once has to sign before recieving medical assistance at a Clicks Clinic. Therefore should his imcompetence result in some harm to me I could hold Clicks liable without them being protected by means of an indemnity form. I also intend to report this incident to the Health Professions Council of South Africa or other appropriate regulatory body.</p> <p> </p> <p>I hope that Clicks will look into this and ensure that it does not put any other patients at risk with such *********** nursing staff.</p>