A new pop-up clinic, or “wellness hub”, in Dunoon is expected to make it easier for residents to access basic health services, says Dunoon hospital facility manager Reuben Christoffels.
He was speaking on Tuesday last week when Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo, along with health workers and community leaders, visited the clinic, which started operating from the Dunoon community hall last month.
Its establishment followed complaints from residents last year about poor service at the Dunoon hospital (“Dunoon hospital accused of poor service,” Tabletalk, September 6).
In response, Mr Christoffels, told Tabletalk that the provincial health department was working on plans to set up a wellness hub. Later that month, residents protested about poor service at the hospital (“Protesters demand better service at Dunoon hospital,” Tabletalk, September 27).
Last Tuesday, Mr Christoffels said the health department had worked with non-profits to set up and run the clinic.
“We are ensuring that our community has the power and access to free wellness services closer to home. We thank our partners and our health-care workers for making this initiative possible,” he said.
The service would cut travel times for residents needing health care and ease waiting times at the hospital.
Family planning, chronic-disease screening and child-health services, are some of the services offered at the hall from 9am to noon every Tuesday to Thursday.
Zimkhitha Nonkeneva, a coordinator from Keready, a non-profit organisation that provides free mobile clinics across the country, said they provided a range of services at the hall.
“We offer services to people from 12 years old to the age of 34, mostly concentrating on the youth and more disadvantaged communities like Dunoon. This wellness hub has been working quite well, and we are receiving a great reception from the community members and nearby schools,” she said.
Professor Mbombo said the service represented the department’s vision of “hospitals without walls or health on wheels”.
She said: “Gone are the days that we need to adhere to the hegemony of physical health-care facilities, where instead we can embrace dynamic initiatives that bring health care closer to the people who need it.”
Bulelwa Mayende, a Dunoon resident and SA National Civics Organisation member, said the community welcomed the initiative.
“This means a lot to me and the community. We wish, as time goes by, more services will be added. The number of people in Dunoon has tripled since it was established. We face a lot of health challenges in this community. Even though this wellness hub won’t handle the capacity of Dunoon residents, we trust that it will grow. We appreciate this initiative.”
