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Gauteng health MEC Faith Mazibuko says the new mobile units the department has deployed to different parts of the province will take services to the people, especially in areas where they have had to travel far for help.
Mazibuko oversaw the handover on Tuesday of seven mobile clinic vehicles that will be deployed in Tshwane, Sedibeng, Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.
“These state-of-the-art mobile units will bring quality services closer to communities. No resident will be left behind,” Mazibuko said.
The handover took place at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto.
The units are fitted with solar-powered systems, oxygen facilities, refrigeration units, generators and clinical examination tools.
Mazibuko said the aim was to take primary care to townships, informal settlements, hostels and farming communities where residents now walk far for treatment.
“There are areas where clinics are not accessible, in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Sedibeng, hence today is so important.
“We’re happy today that with the little money the department has, we can help out residents in Gauteng,” she added.
She urged district managers to audit their fleets and write off mobile clinics that are not working so money is not wasted on vehicles that never leave the yard.
Gauteng has announced several mobile clinic rollouts over the past five years, but there has been little consistency in services.
Palesa More, a resident from Motsoaledi, says the problem is frequency, not just vehicles.
“They introduced mobile clinics before but it’s not enough because they come once a week and people need care every day. It does not really reduce the pressure on hospitals when they come only once a week,” More said.
The department said the new units would target areas with the worst access but released no schedule for visits.
TimesLIVE
Malwande Ndzimande
www.timeslive.co.za
