28 July 2006
Long travelling distance will soon be a thing of the past to community of
Boskop in the Southern District. Boskop is a rural area 20 km away from
Potchefstroom with a population of 2 105 predominately farm workers. The
surrounding community will be having access to health services delivery on a
daily basis from 7h30 to 12h30. This will not only benefit the surrounding
community but it will also benefit other farming communities since mobile unit
turnaround time will be reduced in other areas, and all the other points that
were covered by this mobile that was functioning here will receive more
coverage than before.
Community members had to travel to nearby Potchefstroom hospitals to receive
health services. This was a burden on elderly and pregnant women who were
forced to walk or get lifts from their neighbouring farmers because they have
access to a mobile unit once in four weeks.
The provincial Department of Health had since launched an initiative to
build clinics in the rural areas in 2004. Budget was allocated to the Southern
District Council. This initiative was supported by the Southern District
Council for establishment of rural health posts. The district were also asked
to identify areas were rural clinics could be established. Three sites were
identified: Klipdrift, Matlwang and Boskop.
Mr Jan Serfontein, members of Provincial Legislature and businessmen Mr
George Gibbens and his son Gerge Gibbens, as well as Thys Louwens played a
large role in the planning, building of the clinic.
The clinic building was completed in October 2005 on the property of Mr
Gibbens Senior. Equipments were bought by the Department of Health using budget
allocated for this two-roomed clinic that were transferred to different
municipalities.
An auxiliary nurse and a professional nurse will manage the clinic. Services
rendered include counselling and referrals for termination of pregnancies,
family planning, health education, immunisation, integrated management of
childhood illness, management of opportunistic infections in HIV/AIDS,
prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS, volunteering,
counselling and testing for HIV/AIDS, as well as baby-mother clinic.
Screening and treatment of cervical disorders, chronic illness,
malnourishment, minor ailments, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis
patients and anti-retroviral therapy will also be done at the clinic.
The clinic will be officially opened as follows:
Date: 29 July 2006
Time: 10h00
Place: Boskop Village
âAs a caring department we will continue to take health services nearer to
our community, this project is a very good example of a public partnership, I
urge other business men and women should learn from this towards better
accessible health services to our communities the department really applauds
all those parties who played a pivotal role in the construction of this
clinic,â concluded Health MEC Nomonde Rasmeni.
Members of the media are invited to capture this event.
Enquiries:
Isaac Mokaila
Tel: (018) 387 5813
Cell: 073 742 3906
Barba Gaoganediwe
Tel: (018) 387 5830
Fax: (018) 387 5830
E-mail: kgaoganediwe@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Health, North West Provincial Government
28 July 2006
Source: North West Provincial Government (http://www.nwhealth.gov.za)
