DIABETES | Elderly Limpopo couple skip diabetes medication as clinic stockouts strain their pensions
An elderly Limpopo couple living with Type 2 diabetes face challenges as clinic stockouts threaten their diabetes care and financial stability.
By Moyahabo Mabeba, Health-e News
When 85-year-old Simon Seshibe and his 67-year-old wife, Rahab cannot get their diabetes medication at their local clinic in Sebayeng village northeast of Polokwane, they face a costly search for supplies that sometimes leaves them without treatment for days.
The couple rely on chronic medication to manage their diabetes and hypertension. Rahab was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2009 and Simon in 2014.
The Seshibes collect their chronic medication monthly. When there are medicine shortages at Sebayeng Clinic, they sometimes have to travel to other public health facilities without knowing whether the medicine they need will be available.
“When I don’t find these drugs at the community clinic, nurses refer me to either Mankweng, Rethabile or Pietersburg [clinics],” says Rahab.
The pensioners recall severe medicine shortages specifically in February and August this year. During those two months, the elderly couple spent more than R1,000 on medication for both of them at a private pharmacy in Polokwane and around R400 on petrol for a return trip each time.
Simon says he is prescribed seven different tablets and ointments, but during stockouts, the responsibility for funding the medication falls to him.
Missed doses during medicine shortages
During medicine shortages, the Seshibes sometimes miss doses for a day or two while trying to find medication at other health facilities or pharmacies. During these periods, Rahab experiences severe thirst, while Simon reports fatigue and frequent urination.
Diabetes is now the leading underlying cause of death in South Africa, accounting for 6.1% of all registered deaths, according to the latest mortality figures from Statistics South Africa.
The Seshibes receive old-age grants and supplement their income by renting out a tractor during the rainy season. They also rely on subsistence farming, and their daily diet consists of fruits and vegetables, grown in their backyard, with pap.
But unexpected medicine costs put pressure on their limited household finances. Rahab says they generally manage their grocery budget, but unexpected medication costs means they can’t pay for other essentials like electricity during those months.
Other patients face chronic medicine shortages
The Seshibes are not the only elderly patients reporting difficulties accessing chronic medication in the area.
76-year-old Mapula Dikgale from the nearby Solomondale township east of Polokwane, says she was referred to Mankweng Hospital, about 16 kilometers away, after her local clinic ran out of her chronic medication in August.
She managed to obtain only some of her medication at Mankweng Hospital and was told to return several days later for the rest.
“At least there I found some of my medicine but was advised to return for the rest after three to five days. I couldn’t return because I didn’t have transport money,” she says.
Dikgale had to go a few weeks without some of her chronic medication until she could borrow transport money from a fellow church member to return to the hospital.
Health Department acknowledges supply challenges
The Limpopo Health Department acknowledges that public health facilities experience shortages of diabetes medication and other chronic medicines at times.
“Medicine availability can occasionally be affected by various factors, including supply-chain disruptions, procurement challenges and market-related constraints,” says department spokesperson Neil Shikwambana.
The province’s medicine supply system has faced wider challenges. A controversial 2023 tender to outsource the provincial pharmaceutical depot was followed by reported delivery failures in late 2025, placing hundreds of clinics and hospitals in Limpopo at risk of shortages of essential medicines.
Medicine shortages are also affecting healthcare facilities nationally. The National Department of Health recently confirmed supply challenges affecting several essential medicines. These include metformin, used to treat Type 2 diabetes – among the medications prescribed to Simon Seshibe.
Department spokesperson Foster Mohale attributed the shortages to several factors, including regulatory compliance problems among some local manufacturers.
“The Department has been actively engaging with suppliers and is procuring alternative medicines from other sources to minimise the impact on patients,” Mohale said.
“When these facilities are out of stock, I’m forced to buy medication from private pharmacies,” says Rahab. “They are costly, considering that we buy them with social grants.”