BY ERIC MATOME KGOMO
GRASKOP: South African Forestry Company Limited (SAFCOL) has donated a state of the art clinic to the Mpumalanga Department of Health to fight Covid-19. The donation was handed-over on Friday 26 March at Glory Hill Clinic in Graskop, Thaba Chweu Local Municipality.
The donation comes after Glory Hill Clinic came into spotlight of SAFCOL during Mandela Day activity conducted in the where an old community hall was utilized as a clinic. During the Mandela Day event, SAFCOL CEO Tshepo Monaheng, made a commitment to donate a decent clinic to the community of Graskop. An estimated amount of R3 Million was invested in the construction of the clinic, which consisting of seven consulting rooms with modern finishes, air conditioning, adequate onsite parking, a reception area with modern finishes a spacious dispensary.
With the public-private partnership, the donation seeks to improve excess adequate healthcare services for people of Graskop and surrounding places.
Mpumalanga Department of Health MEC, Sasekani Manzini, accompanied by Thaba Chweu Local Municipality Executive Mayor, Cllr Fridah Nkadimeng, received the donation. Speaking during the hand-over, Health MEC Sasekani Manzini said the donation came at the right time as the province was commemorating World TB Day and the gesture will also help in the fight against Coronavirus. “This is a major boost to our ongoing fight against Covid-19, which has changed the world as we knew it, and become a dominant factor in our lives. Covid-19 is not a problem of government alone, we would never win this fight alone. We need the involvement of private sector, for us to defeat this invisible but deadly enemy. Today’s handover demonstrates the power and tangible results of the public and private sectors working together for the transformation and development of our economy,” she said. Manzini indicated that the involvement of SAFCOL in donating the clinic is a clear sign of the commitment of the private sector to work with government in improving the life of the citizens.
“This clinic offers a highly effective solution to fulfil our critical need of objective of ensuring that we deliver quality health services to our people as it says in our bill of rights. Everyone has the right to have access to health care services, including reproductive health care and no one may be refused emergency medical treatment,” Manzini explained. The MEC praised SAFCOL for the donation and said it was encouraging when business society gives back to their communities.
“These patriotic gestures from SAFCOL suggest that, when the department constantly seeks for assistance, our requests will not fall on deaf ears. It is these relations that bear fruitful partnerships. The department is highly appreciative of SAFCOL’ s donation of a clinic to the people of Graskop and Thaba Chew in general, our people can now receive proper quality health services in a dignified structure,” she said. The MEC emphasized that the health sector programme is coupled with serious commitments that could be measured through similar donations, towards the provisions of equal access to healthcare services for better life.
“This clinic must ensure that Graskop community receive regular access to health services. We are alive to the fact that there are challenges or barriers to the access of quality health services. However, the successful implementation of our health care programs depends on effective partnerships with institutions such as SAFCOL in improving access,” detailed Manzini. She said the donated health facility will relieve a burden of overcrowding in local clinics that were seeing an average of 2432 patients per quarter. “I believe that now that the services are in the new structure the usage will increase for the improvement of our health outcomes and increase life expectancy of our people. I wish to encourage the community of Graskop and Thaba Chweu in general to make use of this facility correctly. Our collective resolve to respond to the plight of the poor and needy communities, should serve as rallying point for our partnership to make a difference and change the lives of the people of Mpumalanga for the better,” she said. The clinic will benefit approximately 4 500 people from Graskop and surrounding places.
