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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The site was handed over to the construc\u00adtion company on 28 February. If all goes as planned construction should be completed by end of June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The R3,7 million upgrade was already approved by council in May 2019 for the 2019-\u201920 financial year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The City of Cape Town\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClinics are an essential service and major construction would have impacted on some operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn addition, the contractors could not work at full capacity, even after the hard lockdown, as they needed to comply with the Covid-19 regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe construction was planned to start this year, as soon as the construction tenders were made available in the City,\u201d says Van der Ross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The upgrade entails additions and alterations to the clinic\u2019s records room, pharmacy\/dispensary, receiving room, bulk store, the pharmacists\u2019 office, as well as additional waiting and consulting rooms, public toilets (male, female and disabled) and a guard house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van der Ross says because of these improvements clients can expect a smoother and more efficient service. \u201cBoth the reception area and the pharmacy are being extended to allow a more efficient flow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van der Ross says the upgrade will also mean that the pharmacy will meet the standards set by the South African Pharmacy Council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van der Ross says people should come to the clinic for TB testing if they have been coughing for longer than two weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) an estimated 61\u2009000 people died of TB in South Africa in 2020, around 5% increase from 2019. Of these deaths 36\u2009000 people were HIV-positive. People who are infected with HIV are around 18 times more likely to develop active TB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 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