Mange Pastor Chris Mukoki is intelligent, entrepreneurial and progressive.
Interestingly, the church Pastor Mukoki founded and leads is called Progressive Ministry. A former lecture and banker, he specialises in financial planning and financial management.
On 1 February 2018, the Progress Ministry leader opened a private clinic in Kagiso. This is the first of its kind in the area, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. This attests to the fact that this man of the cloth is indeed progressive.
It is common knowledge that the public clinics in Kagiso are overloaded and not coping with the demand for services from ailing patients who depend on public health care when they are sick. The clinics are under-resourced and under-staffed. This challenge extends to other areas as well.
There are very few blacks who own clinics and hospitals. Tshepo Themba in Dobsonville, Soweto, is the only hospital I know of that is owned by blacks.
The health business demands a high capital budget; as a result, it has an element of exclusivity.
There is no doubt that the cleric saw a gap in the market and took advantage of it. This is a step in the right direction. It brings hope that many blacks will follow in his footsteps and open more hospitals and clinics.
According to Pastor Mukoki, they are charging affordable fees and medical aid is also accepted. They are currently offering a day service. Maybe with time, they will offer a 24-hour service. They are also offering pregnancy testing, HIV testing, blood pressure testing, family planning and so on.
The opening of a private clinic in the area is a welcome development. It will, in a way, ease the burden on the public clinics.
It will also be judged by the kind of service it offers, given that it is private.
