Gamalakhe Health Centre launches men’s clinic

The Gamalakhe Community Health Centre (CHC) recently launched a Men’s Clinic at the ZG Hall in Gamalakhe.
The centre’s public relations officer, Lifa Radebe, said the clinic will operate every Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.
He explained that the idea behind the Men’s Clinic was a safe, comfortable space for men to share their health problems.

Radebe added that the services provided in the Men’s Clinic include wellness screening and counselling, identifying and reducing any risk of chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes, etc.), prostate cancer screening to promote early diagnosis and treatment; screening of HIV and STIs to promote early diagnosis and treatment; promotion of health education and awareness around men’s health matters.

“Stats around the world suggests that men are less likely than women to seek and use health services and tend to be sicker when eventually seeking medical help. In South Africa, around a third of new HIV infections in 2019 were in men, while more than half of the deaths due to HIV were in men. It is a long-standing question that many health experts have been grappling with: How do we get more men to seek healthcare services? One solution now being tried by Gamalakhe CHC – a clinic just for men,” said Radebe.

Ward 28 councillor, Bekithemba Zulu who went to the Men’s Clinic said it was high time men put their health first.
He said this thing of men being reluctant to get screened or seek medical attention must come to an end.
“The Men’s Clinic is an initiative that was long overdue, it will go a long way in encouraging men to take their health seriously and changing their behaviour and attitude towards taking care of their health,” said Zulu.
Meanwhile, Radebe said the other aim of the clinic is to empower boys and men to lead healthy lives and it will be a one-stop shop for wellness and chronic conditions screenings, HIV prevention interventions, treating sexually transmitted diseases, and offering medical male circumcision.