Local clinic continues to serve the community

The Bez Valley clinic is in the heart of Bezuidehout Valley and has been serving the community since the early 1960’s.

The EXPRESS spoke to Ms Alice Kunene, who has been working in health care for more than 40 years. She joined the clinic in 2011.

She is a Sister and the operations manager at the clinic.

According to Ms Kunene, one of the things she loves about the clinic is how the community works together with the clinic to improve the services offered at the clinic.

She said the Bez Valley Community Health Committee does a good job of bringing in the services needed most in the community.

One such example is the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign, which was hosted late last month and was a huge success.

“The committee is well represented and the ward councillor, Clr Carlos Da Rocha, is actively involved in matters occurring at the clinic,” she said.

One of the main challenges the clinic is facing is a shortage of consulting rooms. But through community involvement, like petitions and suggestion boxes, the clinic has been allocated a budget to build bigger premises for the clinic.

“Another challenge we have is a shortage of professional nurses, as we only have four at the moment,” said Ms Kunene.

According to Ms Kunene, helping people is more than just a job to her and she always encourages staff members to improve their skills.

Ms Kunene spoke about Mr Themba Mzizi, who is a gardener at the clinic.

She said he is one of the most dedicated people she has ever come across. She also made a plea to anyone who can help the clinic by donating equipment, such a garden tools, as Mr Mzizi is currently using his own tools at the moment because the clinic cannot afford to buy any.

She also shared some of the extra ordinary experiences she has encountered since she joined the clinic.

Ms Kunene spoke about a lady who once gave birth at clinic gates.

“The lady came walking towards the clinic. She reached the gate and couldn't walk any further. We rushed to assist; the clinic does not deliver babies but we had to deliver the baby because we couldn't wait for the ambulance to arrive,” she said.

“The woman was not even attending anti-natal classes. When asked why she didn't go to the hospital, she said her boyfriend refused to call an ambulance.

“It was such an experience but both mother and child made it and we decided to name the child Bez-Bez,” she said.

The child is now a healthy two years old.

Speaking to another staff member, Ms Julia Bareng, who is a queue marshal at the clinic, she said the reason she joined the clinic is her passion for people and the community.

Her main task is directing patients to the relevant nurses and sisters.

One of the local residents, Mr Thomas Wilson, said he has been using the clinic for many years, as he is a pensioner and cannot afford medical aid.

“The main problem I have is waiting in the queue for a long time, but I understand they don’t have enough staff. When I get inside and finally see the staff, the nurses and the administration people are helpful and I always get the help I need,” he said.

One of the patients, Ms Pearcey Ncube who lives in Bertrams, said she has been bringing her daughter to the clinic since she was six weeks old and is pleased with the service she has been getting since.

Mr Claude Nkebi, the chairman of the Community Health Committee, said he joined the clinic in 2005 and he commended the staff for their dedication.

“The clinic is diverse because we not only cater to South Africans, but we also have people from other countries. We try our best to cater to all of them,” he said.

He also reiterates Sister Kunene’s sentiments about staff shortages and a lack of space at the clinic, but is pleased that the clinic will be getting a revamp soon.

Ms Mosima Tsiri, who is an HIV counsellor at the clinic, said one of the challenges is that people don’t go for tests until it is too late.

“There are some people who still believe they can’t be infected with the virus and it is mostly the older people who in their 60’s,” she said.

Ms Tsiri urged the public to not shy away from testing because HIV, like any other illness, is easy to manage when detected early.

“People need to comply and if given a return date, they should ensure that they return on the dates specified,” she added.

Ms Tsiri said there are two types of HIV, type one and type two.

Both types are transmitted by sexual contact, through blood and from mother to child, and appear to cause clinically indistinguishable Aids.

Worldwide, the predominant virus is HIV-1 and generally when people refer to HIV without specifying the type of virus, they are referring to HIV-1.

The relatively uncommon HIV-2 type is concentrated in West Africa and is rarely found in other countries.

She added that the job has helped her grow in her profession and she is passionate about educating people about the virus.