The Helderberg has received a double boost in accessible primary healthcare, with two Sha’p Left nurse surgeries opening in Nomzamo and Macassar, bringing affordable, quality care to residents who have long faced queues, transport costs and overcrowded facilities.

The Nomzamo clinic, led by clinical nurse practitioner Marianne Saal at 207 Solomon Drive in Asanda Village, launched on Wednesday 30 September, with the most recent addition at 103 Link Avenue opening to the community’s delight on Friday 9 October.

Sha’p Left is a Cipla Foundation initiative delivering nurse-led, community-based primary healthcare to underserved areas where public clinics are congested and waiting times are long. Rather than building standalone clinics, Cipla Foundation equips qualified nurses with infrastructure, systems and support to run independent surgeries in their own communities.

Each surgery offers consultation, diagnosis, treatment and on-site prescription in a single visit, licensed to dispense medication up to Schedule 4.

Fee-for-service

The Macassar clinic is the first Sha’p Left nurse surgery supported by Dis-Chem, which strengthens primary and preventative healthcare across SA. Dis-Chem head of health equity Joshila Shiba said the programme seeks practical ways to bring quality care closer to communities, with Macassar demonstrating real-world, long-term societal health impact.

The Macassar clinic is led by clinical nurse practitioner Patricia-Ann Smith, known to the community as Sister Pat, who brings 37 years of nursing experience – 27 in community primary healthcare – to the practice. She also runs the Sha’p Left surgery in Mfuleni, which sees an average of 1 700 patients a month, making Macassar her second. Operating on a fee-for-service basis, the clinic manages conditions from HIV and tuberculosis to diabetes and hypertension, complementing – rather than replacing – the local Macassar Community Health Centre, which serves roughly 52 400 residents across about 14 000 households.

At Friday’s launch, guests were welcomed by Brian Molewa, head of Sha’p Left’s nurses surgery programme. Pastor Wessel Wiese delivered a message he said transcended religion: “Whatever your belief system, the basic instruction is just to help each other. That’s just being good people.” He urged those present to “do something for someone that might not have the ability to do it themselves.”

Tough road

Cipla Africa chief executive Paul Miller said affordable, nurse-led clinics expand access by bringing essential services closer to communities, easing pressure on public facilities and empowering nurses to become healthcare entrepreneurs. He compared it to the steep mountain paths of his KwaZulu-Natal childhood, praising Sister Pat for choosing the harder road. “If you choose a road that’s flat, there’s never a better version of yourself, but if you choose a tough road that’s often very steep, you’ll find a new future version of yourself.” Cipla has 20 Sha’p Left clinics, he said, but “we don’t want 20, we don’t want 50, we want well over a hundred.”

Dis-Chem Group chief executive Rui Morais said the retailer’s role is not to deliver care directly but to partner with people like Sister Pat and provide funding. He lost his mother to aggressive cancer 15 years ago, which drew him into healthcare, and arriving at the clinic felt “the same special wind” he gets at a gravesite – realising his mother’s nurse was also called Sister Pat.

“For whatever reason, that is incredibly special.”

He said the community’s work motivates Dis-Chem to advocate for the model: “What you guys do here empowers us. This is what we stand for as a brand.”

Smith dedicated the clinic to God, calling herself a steward of Sha’p Left Macassar: “Without you, I cannot do anything. But with you, my God, all things are possible.” She said she likes to surround herself with people and give and receive love: “You can’t give something that you don’t have.” She joked about being told to walk faster: “If I go too fast, I’m going to miss something. You run, you make a lot of mistakes – so I walk and ask God to come along with me.”

Operating times

Both Sha’p Left nurse surgeries offer adult and child consultations with basic medication, family planning, immunisation, wound care, injections, HIV and pregnancy testing, PAP smears, Implanon insertion and removal, antenatal care, and laboratory blood tests.

The Nomzamo clinic, established in response to the area’s high population density and need for accessible healthcare, is staffed by a nurse, receptionist, caregiver and security officer. It operates Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 17:00, with appointments until 18:00, Saturdays and public holidays from 08:00 to 13:00, and Sundays closed. The community was consulted ahead of the launch and the response has been very positive, with patients seen daily.

In Macassar, the clinic complements overcrowded public facilities which face long waiting times, weekday-only hours, and frequent medication shortages. The clinic offers an affordable private alternative priced from R50 to R280, operating on a walk-in basis with confidential, professional care. Staffed by a nurse, receptionist and part-time cleaner, it operates Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00, Saturdays and public holidays from 09:00 to 13:00, and Sundays closed.