Today, 13 December 2018, the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba officially opened the newly refurbished Thoko Mgoma Clinic in Alexandra.
This clinic was built as part of the Alexandra Renewal Project to replace the Porta Cabin Clinic that was erected as an interim solution to provide primary health care services in the informal settlement of Setswetla, Alexandra that is located near the old Alexandra Cemetery.
In her address MMC for Economic Development, Cllr Leak Knott said that the emphasis on primary health care will help reduce the strain on hospitals.
“The clinic building programme aims at having a clinic within walking distance of every household”, she said
Speaking during the event mayor Herman Mashaba said: “I am happy that the project created 109 jobs in the ward during construction.”
Following a R40 million refurbishment and extension, the clinic now boasts 22 consulting rooms, an expanded emergency room, waiting area and a redesign of the dispensary room among other top new features.
Mayor Mashaba added: “The upgrading of this clinic is perhaps the single best example of the lengths the City of Johannesburg will go to ensure that residents are exposed to the very best in primary healthcare services.”
The clinic also offers extended hours of service, operating from 07h00 to 16h00 on weekdays, excluding public holidays and from 07h30 to 13h30 on Saturdays. This is good news for the ward that has an estimated population of 25, 067 to have a bigger clinic that can accommodate more patients.
Since the introduction of an extended and integrated service delivery strategy in Primary Health Care facilities that was launched by Mayor Mashaba, at Princess Clinic, Roodepoort in October 2016, the city has extended the service to 18 clinics.
Extended clinic hours of service has changed the face of primary healthcare by providing for an integrated and holistic focus on the wellbeing of communities, ensuring preventative as well as curative health services across all age groups. In addition, disadvantaged communities are be able to access basic healthcare, without compromising their work commitments i.e. individuals can access primary health care services at their own convenience.
From July 2017 to June 2018, a total of 781 658 individuals were seen at the 13 clinics that offer extended hour of services. Of these, 143,483 (18.4%) visited the clinics during extended hour of services. The headcounts during the extended hours of service shift increased from 6,728 in July 2017 to 18,693 in June 2018. On average, a total of 11 957 clients were accessing the clinics during the extended hour of services per month.
336 emergencies were seen at the clinics with extended hours’s services. The majority of emergencies were seen at Freedom Park (158) and Zandpruit clinics (50). The types of emergencies that were seen were:
• Shortness of breath, respiratory distress, pneumonia, asthma, vomiting and dehydration
• Maternal: Per Vaginal bleeding, miscarriages, pre-eclampsia, Born Before Arrival (BBAs), post-partum haemorrhage
• Injuries, injuries post Motor Vehicle Accident, assaults, stab wounds, burns.
• Paraffin poisoning /ingestion
• Dog bites.
There has been a significant improvement in the patient waiting times, with the average being just less than 2 hours across all clinics, including those that do not offer extended hours of service against a target of 2.5 hours.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Healthy and Social Development in the City of Joburg Cllr Mpho Phalatse said the clinic was named after a heroine who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the downtrodden.
Thoko Mngoma was a founding member of the Federation of South African Women (Fedsaw), an organisation that advocated for the rights of women. The organization played a key role in the emancipation of women when it joined leaders of the 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings in Pretoria against the apartheid pass laws.
Phalatse called on the local community to emulate Mngoma and selflessly guard the clinic and its infrastructure from criminal elements. Recently, the City of Joburg has seen a number of incidents where infrastructure in clinics and other government facilities are targeted.
The clinic offers services including HIV and TB related treatment and counselling, antiretroviral treatment, male circumcision and mental health treatment.
For media queries:
Lesego Mathibela
Stakeholder Manager, Office of the MMC – Health and Social Development
Tel: (011) 407 - 6725
Mobile: 061 497 8286
E-mail: LesegoMat@joburg.org.za and Cojhealthsocial@gmail.com
OR
Andile Ndlovu
Media Specialist, Office of the Executive Mayor
Tel: (011 704 7334
Mobile: 081 417 1871
