MEC brings mobile clinic to taxi ranks

TAXI drivers and vendors will now have easy access to health facilities after the Department of Health introduced a mobile clinic that will operate from the Pinetown CBD.  The mobile clinic will also serve passengers and anyone who wishes to use the services in the CBD.

The project was officially launched by MEC of Health in KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Sibongiseni Dlomo on Tuesday 18 February. One of the founders of this project and chairman of the Pinetown taxi drivers association in the Durban west region, Zamo Shezi, said he appealed for the mobile clinic after 12 drivers died in 2012 from different illnesses in nine months.

“As drivers its difficult to get medical attention as we queue the whole day in clinics and our working hours start very early in the morning and end late at night.
“It is so hard for a driver to go to the clinic as we live from hand to mouth. The mobile clinic will not only operate in Pinetown ranks but will operate in the whole of KZN.

One of the vendors, Sibongile Hlela expressed her appreciation following the launch of the clinic. “We lose a lot of money by going to the clinics and we can not just go to any clinic as they chase you away if you do not reside in that area. This is a really great initiative but we wish that they can build a clinic that will be open everyday.
We have been told that the mobile clinic will visit the rank once a week, what if I have an emergency? People collapse here from time to time and we have to wait for hours for an ambulance to arrive,” said Hlela.

The Department of Health worked with taxi drivers/owners, Department of Transport, Santaco and eThekwini Metro Management Taxi Council to make this launch a success.