It was Tony’s 6-monthly check up at the psychiatric clinic at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital yesterday 20 January 2026. I accompanied him (because I am not only his wife but also his “caregiver” making sure he takes his medications, staying close by to him to help avoid panic attacks and overexertion (he has a bad heart too), and he currently can’t drive anyway due to also needing an operation to repair his failing eyesight).

This is an account of the timeline of the day, which may give you an idea of what to expect if you find yourself in the same situation for the first time:

4:30

Alarm went off and we groggily got out of bed I think about 10 minutes later when two more alarms had gone off. We’d slept only about 3 and a half hours – that said, we had had a 2 and a half hour nap during the day. We were still tired though, and depressed. We’re unemployed and we’re trying to increase our income, working from home on our laptops, and so far growth (traffic to our site, Facebook, YouTube channel) and sales (craft items, pre-loved books, digital products) are going really slowly. We are still behind with our rent, amongst other things.

6:40

We pulled off from home in our rusty little car. We had wanted to leave at about 6am, but we’d first tried to put in some time on our laptops since we were going to be away from them for several hours. Tony also still had to remove some items from the top of and from inside the car that were still there from having tried to sell some things (including pre-loved books that people give us) in the parking lot of a shopping mall 3 days before. It would have been “from 3 days before and 2 days before” but Sunday had been horribly windy so we’d not gone to sell that day.

7:45

We arrived in the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital parking lot after first having stopped at a garage along the way as we didn’t have enough petrol in the car. Luckily a relative had sent a little money the day before or else we wouldn’t have even had the money for the petrol and not have been able to make the trip at all. Yes of course we would have rather liked to have used the money to go towards our overdue rent as we fear that we may end up on the street, but this 6-monthly psychiatric check up was also important, as was a little food and electricity.

7:58

We arrived at the end of the queue (mostly seated, a few standing) outside the psychiatric clinic. There were 40 people ahead of us. After parking we had first gathered all our things together (paper with the date of “appointment” on it, cooldrink, toilet paper, notebooks and pens etc), locked the car, and also stopped along the way to the clinic to use a bathroom.

8:53

Tony was with a group of 5 people ushered in to the first place (of two places) to hand their “appointment” papers in (or to say/show why they were there if they didn’t have an “appointment” for that day).

9:08

We headed to the waiting area outside the 2nd place, to the outside of the clinic where the psychiatric doctors were, about 30 metres to the right of the first place. This is where we’d wait for Tony’s name to be called to go in and see a doctor and to be given his new prescription for medication for the next 6 months.

The “Waiting Game”

It starts off not too badly. You know there were many patients ahead of you. You know (well, some folks do anyway), that those with appointments get seen before those who don’t have appointments – but after those who are considered “emergency” without an appointment.

You try and remember who the people are that were slightly ahead of you and slightly behind you in the original queue. You get excited thinking it’s nearly your turn when you recognize somebody from the earlier queue (who was slightly ahead of you) getting called in to see a doctor. You get upset when you recognize somebody from the earlier queue (who was slightly behind you) getting called in to see a doctor and you haven’t yet been called in.

What Patients and Caregivers Do While Waiting

Chat with their family member or caregiver or other patients, take notes in a notebook, read, play on their phones, eat something if they have brought something to eat, sit quietly staring at nothing, get restless and make noises, wonder if anyone is dangerous and carrying a weapon.

What Patients and Caregivers See While Waiting

Changes in weather, some small trees and shrubs, maybe a few flowers on the trees and shrubs between them and the clinic (roofless area), the corrugated iron roof over their heads, and on the ground (in the roofless area) some grass, moss, weeds, and cigarette stompies.

Patients and caregivers might also see (as we did yesterday) things like a person picking and eating mulberry tree leaves, patients begging other patients or caregivers for cigarettes, patients walking up and down the long (physically) waiting area kicking the roof support poles, persons, one at a time, from time to time standing in front of you spewing utter gibberish that they think you can understand (tip: be kind and pretend you do understand) caregivers gently guiding their patients back to sit down when they start wandering around anxiously or impatiently.

What Patients and Caregivers Hear While Waiting

Rumours that it may be pointless making one’s way to the pharmacy after seeing a doctor as the pharmacy queue is out the door and one might just be told to rather come back again the next day, patients and caregivers discussing that they can’t afford to come again the next day, names being called to go in for their doctor’s “appointment” if one can hear that above the din of disgruntled and impatient – and often anxious and confused – psychiatric patients, patients complaining “Isn’t it my turn yet?”

12:45

Tony’s name is called to go in and see a doctor (5 hours after having arrived at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital). This was after several people who had been further back in the earlier queue had already been called in, and after Tony had enquired when to expect his name to be called. It was discovered that his folder had gone missing. Tony’s folder was eventually found and soon after that he was called in to the psychiatric clinic.

13:38

7 minutes short of 6 hours since we’d arrived at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, Tony exits the psychiatric clinic, he has seen a doctor, he has his paper with medication prescription and date for the next 6-monthly check up. I’d just waited for him outside. I used to go in with him, but once I saw that they were not changing his medication (we both don’t want it changed), knew the advice offered (regular light excercise like walking, for one), and that he always came out with the next date he needed to go back again, I no longer went in with him.

13:45

At the pharmacy, we join the end of the queue (all seated near the front of the pharmacy) of people who were waiting to hand in their prescriptions.

14:25

The security guard locked the security gate at the door of the pharmacy, allowing nobody else inside. The time was a little odd, we weren’t sure if it was 25 minutes late for 14:00 or if was 5 minutes early for 14:30. It could have also perhaps been upon immediate request by pharmacy staff, but we didn’t see or hear that request happening, if it did, so we don’t know.

14:45

This was 7 hours after we’d arrived in the parking lot of Cecilia Makiwane Hospital. It was Tony’s turn to hand in his prescription at the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital pharmacy, and we then moved further back in the pharmacy to wait, seated, for his name to be called.

15:58

Tony was called up to collect his medication. So that was 2 hours 13 minutes of being in the pharmacy, and a total of 8 hours 13 minutes since we’d arrived at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (when we were finally ready to head back to our rusty little car, and start driving home).

Conclusion

Be prepared to be patient and kind (if you usually aren’t) if you find yourself in a similar situation.

© Copyright Terry Flanigan 21 January 2026