Old Alra Park clinic to be closed

The initial intention of the new clinic facility that was constructed in Alra Park extension 3 and commissioned on April 25 was to compensate for the influx in community members since the establishment of the old Alra Park clinic in Perske Avenue.
Department’s Social Development and Environmental Health Services and Ward 88 committee members concluded a formal discussion process on October 15 discussing all relevant reservations regarding the future use of the old Alra Park clinic.
The department stated that the old Alra Park clinic has become obsolete and do not conform to the requirements of the national health standards and therefore recommended that the clinic not be demolished, but that it is utilised by the department’s Social Development and Environmental Health Services divisions in order to bring other services closer to the affected communities.
In response, Ward 88 councillor Wally Labuschagne said it is unclear which services the department are referring to and brought it under the department’s attention that the elderly, crippled, disabled and pregnant will find it difficult to travel to the new clinic. According to him, it is the norm to facilitate the old clinic for emergencies.
“We have handed in a petition signed by 500 residents objecting to the closure of the old clinic. We as the community feel that our interest was not taken into consideration when the decision was made to close the old clinic”, Wally stated.
According to the ward committee, the demographics in the affected areas have changed dramatically since the plans were drawn up more than 10 years ago which was not brought into consideration. Furthermore, 1500 township housing units will be erected within the next two years in MacKenzieville Extension 2 and Alra Park Extension 4 areas and will add more strain on the new clinic, which is already operating under pressure.
“The residents of Alra Park feel they are being treated unfairly. They are tax paying residents of our communities and rightfully feel that they are entitled to having the old clinic kept open and available to them”, Wally said.
Department officials assured the ward committee that their objections and requests will be referred to the concerned heads of departments for further assessment.
Ward committee members carry better knowledge of what the department’s tentative future plans for the old clinic are, but feel the department should consider upgrading and expanding the clinic, rather than closing it down.