Johannesburg – Despite efforts by some disgruntled residents to prevent the opening of a new state-of-the-art clinic, the Gauteng Department of Health managed to overcome the protestations and unveiled the facility.
The residents that were intent on preventing the opening of the new clinic were demanding the jobs they said they were promised and never got during the construction.
The new community health centre replaces the current Sebokeng Zone 17 Clinic and is located in the same yard.
Commenting on the disruptions, the Gauteng Department of Health said, “it views as rather unfortunate the attempt by some community members in Zone 17, Sebokeng to prevent the newly built state-of-the-art clinic from opening”.
The new health facility brings much-needed relief as the old and dilapidated structure can no longer meet the service needs of the community.
The old clinic – situated in the same yard as the new facility- has no proper working space for healthcare workers to properly serve the community.
Apart from being too small, the old clinic does not comply with occupational health and safety requirements.
“While the genuine issues raised by the community need to be addressed, there is no reason why those concerns must be used to deny others access to much-needed health services which is a fundamental right,” said the department.
“For the longest of time there has been an outcry from people accessing services at Sebokeng Zone 17 Clinic that the previous facility requires an upgrade so that they can receive health services in a conducive place.”
On Friday, (3 March 2023), Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko engaged with the community and acknowledged the service delivery issues they raised.
She assured the public that the Gauteng Provincial Government was committed to attend to their concerns and to further work with them to address those.
We are going to make sure that the issues that are being raised by the community are responded to,” said MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.
“The issue of road infrastructure, unemployment, housing, and access to health services are on our agenda.
“What we will not allow is the destruction of public amenities or disruption of services. Concerns can still be raised without destroying property.
The Sebokeng Zone 17 Clinic is in the Emfuleni Local Municipality within the Sedibeng District, which has a high unemployment rate with 79.8% of the over 1 million population being uninsured.
The burden of disease is mainly due to HIV, TB, Chronic and Maternal and Child health diseases.
The catchment area of the clinic includes Zone 14, 16, 17, 20, 21, 24 (Sebokeng), Boiketlong and Golden Gardens.
The old clinic had a staff complement of 46 employees, including clinical nurses, professional nurses, staff nurses, admin clerks, data capturers, cleaners, general workers, and community health workers.
The old clinic had contracted security.
However, the department said the new structure will require 92 employees in total, 46 of which are subject to an organisational design process that will expand the current structure.
The staff complement will incrementally be strengthened as more funds are made available.
The new facility which cost more than R62 million will provide a basket of health services including chronic medication, physiotherapy, occupational health, audiology, and speech therapy.
The clinic also offers health services in podiatry, optometry, oral health, IMCI (integrated management of childhood illness), mother and child services (family planning, antenatal clinic, postnatal clinic), youth services, school health, dispensary, dietetics and social work amongst other services.
The state-of-the-art clinic houses an outdoor exercise area, multiple consultation rooms, two waiting area that can accommodate more than 200 people, admission and observation rooms, courtyards, treatment and rehydration rooms, day beds, a children’s playroom.
The clinic construction complied with green building principles and incorporated the following in the design:
Roof Insulation (reduces energy loss from the buildings)
Glazing (that maximizes natural light into the building and reduces energy loss from the building)
Energy-saving lighting (LED Light fittings)
Heat pumps for water heating
Rainwater harvesting
Indigenous Landscaping
Photovoltaic (PV) panels
Sebokeng Zone 17 Clinic will contribute towards improving the publics access to preventive health care service and assist healthcare professionals in engaging citizens to make healthy lifestyle decisions.
It was opened as part of the commitments made by Premier Panyaza Lesufi in the 2023 State of the Province Address to operationalise six new clinics, thus bringing much needed healthcare services to communities.
The facility was commissioned in October 2017 and the Department of Infrastructure Development and Property Management handed it over to the Gauteng Department of Health on 13 January 2023.
