BuaNews (Tshwane)
Gabi Khumalo
21 May 2008
Bothasig — The City of Cape Town has opened a modern state-of-the-art clinic to extend health services to the Bothasig community.
The R7 million facility, which is at the corner of De Grendel and Swellengrebel Avenue, will focus on comprehensive nurse-based services, with doctor support.
Chairperson of the City's Health Portfolio Committee, Councillor James Vos said the facility will also focus on mother and child health.
"The services will include immunisation, growth monitoring, preventative services for children under five years, curative services for children under 13, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, TB and HIV care as well as nutritional services," said Mr Vos.
He said that a unique characteristic of the new clinic was the colour coding system to guide patients to the specific treatment rooms and available services, adding that the landscaping creates a pleasant and soothing environment for patients.
"Health is not fully valued until sickness strikes, the opening of this new clinic is a dream come true for the community who actively participated in the design and construction process," Mr Vos said.
The patients will also receive services from doctors and phamarcist, who will visit the clinic twice a week.
Mr Vos said the city also plans to appoint additional staff later this year, which would include a clinical nurse practitioner.
The development of the new community healthcare centre was due to co-operation between local Health Forums and representatives of the seniors' clubs, ratepayers' associations and medical professionals, who have worked closely with the project team. Mr Vos said that rapid growth in the Bothasig area has rendered the former clinic inadequate, resulting in the need for the new facility.
"Apart from the additional services offered, the new clinic will also serve a wider area covering Edgemead. "So many people cannot afford expensive medical care and in many cases do not even have transport to other healthcare centres," Mr Vos said. He added that in line with its commitment to render sustainable primary health care services, the city is in the process of building new clinics in Mfuleni, Khayelitsha, Elsies River and Wesbank. Plans to improve the Albow Gardens Community Healthcare Centre in Brooklyn, Kasselsvlei Clinic and Ikhwezi Clinic, are also in the pipeline.
Addressing the opening of the National Consultative Health Forum (NCHF) last month, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said the use of health care services, which has doubled over the past eight years with 101 million visits to clinics in the 2006/07, was due to improved access as a result of building more than 1 600 clinics closer to the communities, improved package of care available at clinics and the removal of user fees.
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