By Tammy Petersen, 9 March 2017, news24.com.
Cape Town – Primary healthcare provision in Khayelitsha got a shot in the arm on Thursday when a new nursing surgery opened its doors in Cape Town’s biggest township.
NGO Ikamva Labantu launched its Nursing Surgery at the Enkululekweni Wellness Centre. It offers affordable healthcare services to ease the pressure on government clinics and day hospitals in the area.
“This is something that the community deserves,” said Ikamva Labantu founder and honorary president Helen Lieberman.
“We are very under-resourced in our township communities; this is a tiny drop in a community but we hope to be able to expand on this so as to continue reaching more people.”
After two years of planning, the secure, custom-made unit includes a nurse’s surgery and reception area.
A medical “spaza shop”, where people purchase over-the-counter medications and personal healthcare products, will be added later.
The NGO has employed Nobahle Madolo as a full-time clinical nurse to provide primary healthcare services and dispense medication. A receptionist will manage the surgery.
All services – including family planning, women’s health, HIV tests, wound care and check-ups – will cost between R20 and R200, including prescription medication.
Sha’p Left
This is a cheaper alternative to a visit to a local private doctor, which can cost up to R350, excluding medication.
Any profit from the project will be used to cover overheads, while the rest will be ploughed back into Ikamva Labantu’s health services programmes.
Patients may also make appointments, thus shortening the time that they would normally spend waiting at a clinic.
The unit is owned by the organisation and was designed and developed by the Cipla Foundation under its Sha’p Left corporate social responsibility initiative, which is supported by the Western Cape Department of Health.
“No NGO, no corporate, no individual and no government can solve a country’s problems on their own. The most important person in the contingent is the patient; it’s about getting the best possible service to the patient at the end,” said David Grier, managing trustee of the Cipla Foundation SA.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York funded the unit.
