State of the art clinic for Ennerdale
Sights of the elderly and infirm being taken to healthcare centres in wheelbarrows will soon be a thing of the past in Johannesburg.
In the not-too-distant future, residents who do not have the strength to walk to the clinic will have healthcare officials calling on them in their homes to administer medication.
This was said by Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau at a sod-turning ceremony marking the start of the construction of a R22,5 million state-of-the-art clinic in Ennerdale Extension 8 in Region G on Thursday. The Executive Mayor said providing healthcare services would in future require more accountability from officials and added responsibility from residents.
He said from now on, the City would not rely on the number of people going to clinics to evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery of healthcare services but will be informed by life-expectancy audits.
Mayor Tau urged residents to take better care of themselves.
“How we exercise, eat and take care of our bodies determine the quality of life we will lead. The City is promoting a healthy lifestyle in our communities to wage war on non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. That’s why the City has started a Healthy Lifestyle Programme, which promotes the ability of people to take care of their bodies. By eating food that is more nutritious, taking care of our bodies and undertaking early screening, we will mitigate the impact of such diseases.
“When we get to know and understand our body first, half the battle is won,” he said.
The R22.5-million healthcare facility, to be built by Dryden Projects, will provide the community with local access to comprehensive primary healthcare, including integrated chronic diseases management, antenatal care and tuberculosis treatment.
The clinic has been designed to achieve energy- and water-efficiency through the use of natural light, efficient light fittings and globes, rain harvesting, the use of anti-drip taps and water-efficient toilet systems in line with the City’s greening programme.
As part of the City’s job-creation initiative, 10% of the R22.5 million clinic construction budget has been set aside for the empowerment of the local community.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health and Social Development Clr Nonceba Molwele said the plan to build the clinic was in response to the community’s needs. “We knew how strenuous it was and how frustrating it is to receive services in such a small container, with only three consultation rooms. You have called us and we are here. You talked and we listened. We will be moving from three consultation rooms in containers to 18 consultation rooms."
“Health is our priority as government. We need to ensure that the dignity of our community is maintained by delivering quality healthcare services. This clinic complies with the requirements of the National Health Insurance Act. It will use the same operating hours, but healthcare workers will make sure that at 7.30am services start and at 4pm people who are within the yard of the clinic are attended to. No one will be turned back,” MMC Molwele said.
Resident Thembi Ngema said the new clinic would ease overcrowding and the staff's workload. “Nurses used to skip lunch to ensure they see as many patients as possible. They were really overworked. With the bigger clinic, additional staff will ease their workload and the quality of service will improve,” Ngema said.
