A local clinic recently held its first wellness day to raise awareness about its ability to fill the gap in access to affordable, preventative care in the Ida’s Valley community.
This is according to David Grier, operations manager at Cipla foundation, the philanthropic arm of Chemical Industries & Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd, which supports and helped to establish the Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic on Rustenberg estate.
The clinic opened in January already, but the wellness day on 24 May served as the clinic’s formal introduction to the community of Ida’s Valley and surrounding areas, according to Nazlie Ismail, receptionist at Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic. She said that the event was a chance for the community to do many health screenings, such as cholesterol checks, breast examinations, and HIV tests, for free.
Patients line up for health screenings at Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic’s first wellness day on 24 May. “It is important for us to have this clinic here because it is so convenient,” said Marie Arendse, who works on Rustenberg estate and has been attending the clinic since January. “Not a lot of people know about this place, but on a day like [Wellness day], many people will be made aware of it.” PHOTO: Danielle Schaafsma
Filling the gap
The initiative mainly started for the farm workers on Rustenberg estate, because when someone is sick it often means that they, and the person taking them to the clinic, miss an entire day of work, according to Nateshia Mcombring, the ward 6 councillor, who attended the wellness day and transported other members of the community to the event.
The many challenges that public healthcare facilities face spurred the family who run the Rustenberg farm to establish the clinic, according to Tammy Barlow, co-owner of Rustenberg Estate.
“[Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic] is also assisting the wider Ida’s Valley community, especially people who don’t have medical aids that allow them to go to a private doctor,” said Mcombring. “Here, they can pay a smaller fee and still receive good healthcare.”
At Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic, patients were waiting to receive free health screenings that were offered on 24 May at the clinic’s first wellness day. SMF News attended the event. The screenings that were offered were: “blood pressure checks, sugar tests, HIV tests, cholesterol tests, breast examinations, pap smears, weight checks, and general checkups,” according to Nazlie Ismail, receptionist at Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic. PHOTO: Danielle Schaafsma
According to Annemarie Boyens, who works on Rustenberg farm and has brought her daughter to the clinic for checkups and her vaccinations, the clinic has not received a lot of exposure yet, but the wellness day event will ensure that news of the clinic spreads through the community.
A dream realised
“I have always had a passion for helping hard-working people,” said Marianne Saal, nurse and owner of Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic.
What makes this clinic different is that nurses have the capacity to sit down with a patient and listen to them, something that is not always possible in other clinics, said Saal.
“I now have the chance to deliver the level of service that I have always wanted to,” said Saal. “To me, that is true job satisfaction.”
Ida’s Valley community members attended Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic’s first wellness day on 24 May, where they could have health screenings done for free. “[Wellness day] is my way of giving back to the community,” said Marianne Saal (right), nurse and owner of Sha’p Left Rustenberg clinic. “Our only challenge has been foot traffic because many people in the Ida’s Valley community don’t have transport to get here.” PHOTO: Danielle Schaafsma
According to Andrew Stuart, operations manager at Cipla foundation, Sha’p Left clinics aim to make healthcare more accessible for communities that are often underserved.
The clinics are the Cipla foundation’s way of not just “finding issues in a community but then also finding the solutions within the community”, said Grier. He said that they then have a sustainable solution by supporting a nurse to run the clinic as her own business.
A local clinic recently held its first Wellness day to inform the community of all they have to offer. SMF News attended the event on 24 May. David Grier, operations manager at Cipla foundation, which supports the clinic, and Tammy Barlow, co-owner of Rustenberg Estate, where the clinic is located, speak on how the clinic started and why it is important to the community. VIDEO: Danielle Schaafsma