Community members who access the public health services on offer from Sarepta Clinic in Rietvlei Road can expect things to run a little smoother once construction of upgrades at the site are completed.
The site was handed over to the construction company on 28 February. If all goes as planned construction should be completed by end of June.
The R3,7 million upgrade was already approved by council in May 2019 for the 2019-’20 financial year.
The City of Cape Town’s Mayco member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross said in response to an enquiry the Covid-19 pandemic did result in delays and the postponement of construction work.
“Clinics are an essential service and major construction would have impacted on some operations.
“In addition, the contractors could not work at full capacity, even after the hard lockdown, as they needed to comply with the Covid-19 regulations.
“The construction was planned to start this year, as soon as the construction tenders were made available in the City,” says Van der Ross.
The upgrade entails additions and alterations to the clinic’s records room, pharmacy/dispensary, receiving room, bulk store, the pharmacists’ office, as well as additional waiting and consulting rooms, public toilets (male, female and disabled) and a guard house.
Van der Ross says because of these improvements clients can expect a smoother and more efficient service. “Both the reception area and the pharmacy are being extended to allow a more efficient flow.”
Van der Ross says the upgrade will also mean that the pharmacy will meet the standards set by the South African Pharmacy Council.
“The facility will also boast a tuberculosis (TB) and HIV section. This is required as we have observed an increase of TB in the community over the last few years.”
Van der Ross says people should come to the clinic for TB testing if they have been coughing for longer than two weeks.
“A chronic cough is one of the signs of TB, even in smokers and people with asthma. Other symptoms of TB include unexplained weight loss, night sweats and fever.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) an estimated 61 000 people died of TB in South Africa in 2020, around 5% increase from 2019. Of these deaths 36 000 people were HIV-positive. People who are infected with HIV are around 18 times more likely to develop active TB.
Drug resistance emerges when anti-TB medicines are used inappropriately or treatment is stopped prematurely. Besides HIV other higher risk factors to develop active TB include malnutrition, diabetes, alcohol abuse and smoking.
