THE Denis Hurley Centre is an organisation that assists and advocates for homeless people in Durban and sees to the needs of the poorest of the poor. The local organisation, which is based in the Durban CBD, also has a clinic on-site called the Usizo Lwethu Afrisun Clinic, which means ‘our help’ in isiZulu.

The clinic offers a range of services, and according to the Denis Hurley Centre, no person is denied admission to any of the services regardless of age, gender, race, national origin or religion – all are welcome, and all services are provided free of charge.

The clinic has recently welcomed three new staff members to the clinic team which caters to thousands of people in need. “While we benefit hugely from volunteers, our clinic does require a paid professional team – and that means that, at R9 500 per working day, it is by far the most costly part of what we do. Three new members have joined the team recently,” said the Denis Hurley Centre director, Raymond Perrier.
Perrier said the new clinic coordinator, Thobile Mthembu, came to the clinic earlier this year as a registered nurse. “When our previous clinic coordinator moved with her husband to the UK, Thobile was ready to step in as clinic coordinator. After more than 20 years in public and private healthcare, as well as working recently with NGOs, Thobile brings a lot of talent and experience to the team. As well as being a Primary Healthcare specialist, she also has extra qualifications in midwifery and initiating patients on ARVs (NIMART).”

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Thobile commented that a clinic focused on the homeless and foreign nationals with no discrimination is, in her entire experience, the first of its kind. “I really enjoy being able to interact with both my clients and staff in harmony. We aim to reach a level of understanding with our patients concerning the importance of healthcare. That sometimes means meeting them in the most desperate situations, such as our outreach to various hotspots. However, the challenge is when they fail to adhere to treatment due to drug use. It can be very dispiriting if they come back to us with the same untreated problem.”

She loves animals and, in her spare time, is raising Boerboel dogs and has also just started a Tilapia fish farm.

“Siya, our clinic driver, is no longer the only man in the team. He has been joined by Bongani Chonco and Simon Kabisayi. Bongani has been helping us manage the queue for the last few months to avoid any problems and also acts as a ‘runner’ between clinic rooms on different floors. Like so many young men, he came to Durban from rural KZN and, when he did not find work, ended up on the streets and in and out of shelters. He heard about the DHC and proved himself as a volunteer before a paid post emerged for him,” said Perrier.

“Simon is a trained healthcare worker who helps with HIV counselling and wound dressing. He spends most of his time at reception since he can speak English, French, Swahili and Lingala – plus his Zulu is improving all the time. He came to South Africa from DR Congo 24 years ago and most recently was working with Refugee Social Services, providing health education,” said Perrier.

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He commented: “The Christian part of the DHC is very special for me. I enjoy serving our patients, the warm environment with all staff and the way we interact with each other. My challenge every day is being able to make every patient happy.”

“Finding and investing in trained professionals is essential if we are to provide a quality healthcare service. And most of the 2 000 patients we see every month – homeless people and refugees – rely on us since they cannot access government services and cannot afford private ones. We are grateful to those who work hard in our team and also grateful to donors like you who provide the money to allow us to offer this life-changing service,” said Perrier.

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