The congregants of the Diocese of Mthatha Anglican Church of Southern Africa are on a mission to change lives of Slovo Park, Mthatha community members, by opening a clinic that will help them access health services closer to their homes.
This was confirmed by Reverend Canon Jongikhaya Sikhuni from this congregation, stating that they had decided to bring health services to the Holy Nativity Parish at Slovo Park, because they saw that people from that area were travelling long distances for these services.
According to him, Sikhuni originated the concept so the church is involved in development.
Sikhuni added that they had hosted an information sharing event on health matters to the people of Slovo Park because they do not have a health facility nearby.
He said that if they want health services they travel to Ncise Clinic or Standford Terrace Clinic in town, and both of them are too far from this area.
According to him, even if the Department of Health wants to establish the facility, there is no land they can use; it has already been occupied because this is a residential zone.
“We as the church are trying to look at other alternatives to assist with the space that we have to establish the health facility. We have declared that the health post is starting in this area; then our duty now is to look for containers that we will use to fulfil our dream.”
He said that since it is in the church, they will also engage with private doctors to come and provide a service.
He also revealed that they will visit the Chefane area under OR Tambo District in April.
Spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Department of Health, Sizwe Kupelo, said that clinics are built in line with the envisaged National Health Insurance (NHI), and communities cannot afford to build clinics to that standard.
“Requests for clinics are submitted to sub-district services; then the department’s planning unit will do a needs-analysis,” said Kupelo.
