Ducats clinic a beacon of hope

A satellite clinic has been opened at the Ducats Community Hall to cater to a community that has never had one.

Ward councillor Makhaya Bopi yesterday said he was happy the community’s pleas to government had been heard.

“The nearest clinic is Nompumelelo, Beacon Bay or Nahoon.

“The challenge is that people here are unemployed and cannot afford to catch a taxi to go there whenever they need clinic service,” Bopi said.

Ntombi Makinana, programme manager for HIV prevention at the new clinic, said they found that the Ducats community was not accessing health services.

“Because they are having difficulty getting to a clinic people are defaulting with their treatment.

“There is problem with a high prevalence of HIV infection as well as teenage pregnancy. We will be dispensing chronic medication to those who need it and we will refer other patients to clinics or hospital when necessary,” she said.

The clinic will be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays and there will be three nurses on duty. They will offer the following services:

lDentistry;

lImmunisations;

lHIV testing;

lFamily planning;

lTB screening; and

lCervical cancer screening.

Resident Zameka Plaatjie said they were pleased to have the clinic opened there because many people have had unwanted pregnancies.

“I have been living here for years and I have five children because I could not get contraceptives or condoms in Nompumelelo. Now I will be able to get contraceptives. It is always full there and Nompumelelo residents are prioritised.

“People here get ill and there is nothing we can do because we have nowhere to go,” Plaatjie said.

Resident, Tikiza Mncameni, said she struggled to get chronic medicine for her 12-year-old child.

“I have had to borrow money to get to the clinic in Beacon Bay or walk.

“We hope things will get better. I am unemployed and we live off the child’s grant,” she said.

Mwandile Coko said: “This clinic will save our lives, not only because of the medical services they are bringing but because we will be safe from these thugs that want to mug us.”

Provincial health spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha said: “The satellite clinic is intended to ensure that people of Ducats have improved and frequent access to primary healthcare facilities.

“Previously there was a mobile clinic which only went there once a month.” — siyat@dispatch.co.za