MEC Dhlomo, MEC for Health in KwaZulu-Natal, will tomorrow open a roadside clinic in Pongola which will serve the trucking community along the N2 route and citizens from Swaziland and Mozambique.
Presenting his budget speech last Friday, 25 March 2011, the MEC said, “We have a way to set up HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) mobile structures at taxi ranks, develop truck stops following the India model that recognises truck drivers as a backbone of the country’s economy. It is envisaged that the drivers there are provided with rest rooms where they are made to feel that they are family men by being provided with proper rest rooms in a programme that emphasises wellness and good diet.” The clinic will be a referral centre for a nearby truck stop which was set up four years ago by Itshelejuba Hospital team.
The clinic attends to about 7 000 patients a month of which 25 percent (1 750) are foreign nationals from Swaziland and Mozambique. The clinic has provided much needed healthcare service to farm workers in the Pongola area in particular maternal and child health services. Initially, the clinic used to open between 07h00 and 16h00 a day, however due to an increased demand for maternity services overnight the MEC will announce that the clinic will now operate a 24 hour service.
The clinic being in the city centre in attracts high demand for all social services such as birth registrations, social grants and application for identity documents. In this regard, government departments are working in a coordinated manner to ensure that clinic attendees all have an opportunity to other social services.
Journalists are invited to attend and report on the event:
Date: 1 April 2011 (Friday)
Time: 09h00
Venue: Pongola
Enquiries:
Chris Maxon
Cell: 083 447 2869
