Alexandria residents welcome new clinic bringing healthcare closer to home
With maternal care, chronic medication and visiting doctors on offer, the modern facility promises vital relief for more than 21 000 rural villagers.
The community of Alexandria welcomed the opening of a new R21.6m-clinic, saying it will make it easier for them to access healthcare without travelling long distances. The clinic was officially opened on October 20 by Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu alongside MEC for Health Sasekane Manzini.
The facility is expected to serve about 21 506 people from Alexandria and nearby villages, providing primary healthcare services closer to their homes.
Resident Makhosazane Nyathikazi said community members are relieved to have their own clinic, especially because elderly people had struggled with accessing healthcare. “Now that we have it, the struggle is finally over,” said Nyathikazi. “From now on, we will just walk to the clinic unlike before.”
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Facility offers comprehensive healthcare
The clinic will provide services including maternal and child healthcare, chronic disease management, HIV and TB care, immunisation, health education and screening. Ndlovu said the clinic forms part of the provincial government’s R1.7b-investment in health infrastructure projects aimed at improving access to healthcare across Mpumalanga.
“This clinic meets all the standards of an ideal clinic,” said Ndlovu. “We have got everything; there is no need for a person to go to a private institution if they are living around here. They must utilise this clinic.”
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He added that a visiting doctor would be deployed to the clinic if a permanent doctor was not available. The premier also urged residents to take care of the facility to ensure it remains in good condition for the community.
Leaders praise community co-operation
Contralesa president Kgoshi Mathupa Mokoena was also part of the handover. He thanked community members for allowing the project to proceed without disruption, saying their co-operation helped ensure its completion. Residents who need healthcare services outside the clinic’s operating hours can access 24-hour services at the nearby Agincourt Community Healthcare Centre.
