By Anita Dangazele
The mobile clinic only came twice a month — and to get to it, residents of Nombanjana village in Centane in the Eastern Cape needed to walk long distances and, sometimes, cross dangerous rivers.
Fed up, they found a solution for accessing basic health care: they built their own clinic.
The villagers in Mnquma municipality’s Ward 28 said they got tired of having to wait for the mobile clinic.
“Our illnesses cannot wait for two weeks,” said a resident, who asked not to be named.
“When residents need urgent medical care, they have to spend about R50 to get to a clinic or be prepared to walk long distances and sometimes even cross the Khobonqaba River.
“We decided that the mobile clinic arrangement wasn’t working for us, so we started collecting money to build our own clinic.”
The resident said the initiative was inspired by the community of neighbouring Ngcizele village, which built its own clinic a few years ago.
“The department [of health] did eventually come to the party and provided those residents with nursing staff, medicine and medical equipment. We’re hoping they’ll do the same for us,” she said.
Eastern Cape Health spokesperson Mkhululi Ndamase confirmed that the department had previously turned structures that were donated by communities into clinics.
“[But] some of these structures did not meet the minimum standards and required massive investment for them to be adequate clinics,” said Ndamase.
He said while the department welcomes the community’s efforts, the structure needs to meet National Health Insurance standards to become a fully operational clinic.
“It is worth noting that a clinic requires more than just the fixed building as there has to be adequate staff, medical equipment and medicine,” Ndamase said.
He said the structure could be used as a health post and a pickup point after all the necessary processes have been followed.
Pictured above: The structure built by villagers in Nombanjana to serve as a clinic.
Image source: Supplied
