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- August 3, 2026
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- anaesthetics shortage, dental health, dentistry, Health, North West, north west province, SDOH, South Africa, water shortage
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) went to the Itsoseng centre during the Easter holidays with a painful tooth, he hoped to have it extracted. But he was turned away because there was no water or local anaesthetics. Mmokwa, a self-employed artist who relies on commissioned work, says he had been turned away several times since last year because of anaesthetic shortages or water interruptions. As the pain continued, Mmokwa eventually borrowed R164 to travel about 60km to Mahikeng Provincial Hospital for treatment. He says the trip left him without money for food and cost him work. “I spent in excess of R160 to go to Mahikeng Provincial Hospital. I had to ask for a place to sleep and spent R60 for a booking fee. I could have been helped for free if I got assistance at Itsoseng.” he says. “Mahikeng is the nearest facility that could assist me because General De La Rey Hospital in Lichtenburg, about 35km away, also did not have anaesthetic injections.” “I couldn’t sleep because of the pain.” Mmokwa says during this time he experienced swollen gums, ear infections and severe headaches. “At Itsoseng, they only take 10 patients a day. Some patients arrive at the facility as early as 5am, only to be turned back,” he says. More patients struggling to get treatment Kenalemang Thukgwe (34) says she was turned away from Itsoseng Community Health Centre more than three times this year, hoping to get treatment for a rotten tooth. Her last two visits were in June and July. Thukgwe told Health-e News she was given mouthwash and painkillers but says she continues to live with pain. Thukgwe is unemployed and relies on the R370 Social Relief of Distress grant. She says she cannot afford alternative transport to Mahikeng Provincial Hospital because it is too expensive. “The lines at Mahikeng Provincial Hospital are long and the only mode of transport that leaves in the morning is a bus,” she says. “At around 04:30am it is dark and there is nobody to accompany me so I have a fear of getting robbed,” Thukgwe tells Health-e News. Other community members told Health-e News that patients who need tooth extractions are often referred to other healthcare facilities because intermittent water supply at the Itsoseng facility prevents health workers from performing certain dental procedures. Water shortage halts dental procedures When Health-e News visited Itsoseng Community Health Centre last week, a health worker who asked not to be named, said a small supply of anaesthetic injections had arrived. But she says tooth extractions could still not be performed because there was no water in the dental unit. The facility has water storage containers on site outside the health centre building, but staff say the containers can’t be filled during municipal water interruptions. Water shortages have affected the dental unit for years. The health worker told Health-e News that the facility is waiting for the Department of Public Works to resolve the problem. Dental health impact of water shortage Dr Bulela Vava, dentist and founder of the Public Oral Health Forum, says interrupted water supply affects infection prevention, sanitation and general safe dental care. “Dental procedures require a reliable supply of clean running water to meet infection control standards,” Vava says. Vava says delayed dental treatment can have serious health consequences. According to Vava, untreated tooth decay can progress to an abscess, and infection can spread into the face and neck. “Delays in treatment can lead to worsening infections, unnecessary suffering and higher healthcare costs when patients eventually require more complex interventions.” He says in severe cases a tooth infection can cause life-threatening conditions such as Ludwig’s angina, a fast-spreading bacterial infection. According to Vava, disruptions in dental care at local health facilities places a burden on provincial hospitals. “When a patient cannot access care at a primary level, this places additional pressure on already overstretched hospitals. Patients who could have been treated at primary healthcare level are forced to seek care elsewhere.” Anaesthetic shortage affected several provinces North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane told Health-e News the anaesthetic shortages since April this year affected facilities in several provinces and were caused by global supply chain disruptions. “The shortage was due to a national challenge from suppliers and persisted for approximately four months,” Lekgethwane says. “It affected healthcare facilities across a number of provinces, including the North West. It was not an issue unique to General De La Rey Hospital or Itsoseng Community Health Centre.” Lekgethwane says stock has since been received. Interruptions in local anaesthetic supplies are not new and can sometimes persist for months. “Interruptions in the supply of Xylotox – a brand name of local anaesthetics widely used in dental practice – to public health facilities are not new. In fact, this challenge has persisted for more than a decade across health facilities in different parts of the country,” Vava says. According to Vava, Xylotox shortages have rarely attracted public attention because the disruptions in the supply chain are often short-lived. But, according to Vava, interruptions can sometimes last for up to six months. He says for patients who have to travel far for treatment, the impact goes beyond physical pain. “When the nearest available dental service is more than 60km away, the impact is immediate, placing an additional financial burden on households that are already struggling to meet their basic needs.” While the provincial health department says the anaesthetic shortage has been resolved, intermittent water supply continues to affect dental services at Itsoseng Community Health Centre. Lekgethwane says the Department is aware of the operational challenges because of intermittent water supply, which affects health procedures requiring reliable access to water. But the Department did not answer Health-e News’ questions about when the water problem at the
This post After long wait for anaesthetics, water shortages still halt dental care at North West clinic first appeared on Health-e News and is written by Nthusang Lefafa
