Mayor Tau hands over R22-m clinic to Ennerdale residents

06 May 2016

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Parks Tau yesterday officially opened a R22.5-million clinic in Ennerdale Extension 8 in the City’s Region G.

“Residents said they wanted a clinic and we, the City of Johannesburg, made it happen,” Mayor Tau said during the official handover ceremony.

He said the clinic – which replaces a smaller one that operated from shipping containers, with only three consultation rooms – was built to restore the dignity of the residents of Ennerdale.

“This is a gift we’re handing over to the community of Ennerdale. From now on it’s the responsibility of the community to look after it. Our responsibility as the City is to improve the services delivered to residents,” Mayor Tau said.

He said the state-of-the-art healthcare facility, which boasts 18 consultation rooms, was built in accordance with National Health Insurance (NHI) requirements. The City’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040 (GDS 2040) prioritises the creation of a healthy and liveable environment in which residents are free from opportunistic diseases.

Mayor Tau said through the clinic the City was putting healthcare in people’s hands. He said he was pained last year when a section of the clinic was burnt by protestors.

“When I walked in here, I saw a group of people who were saying: “No Jobs, No Clinic!’ As a City, we hear their cry but it can’t be that their cry will impact on others’ right to healthcare.” 
He said the City was a government that listened.

“It can’t be right that children are denied access to healthcare because their parents are unemployed. We still want people to take advantage of opportunities created by the City of Johannesburg.”

He said the City wanted to provide services that extended beyond the clinic. Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health Councillor Nonceba Molwele told the community that service delivery took time and yesterday’s handover was something the community must have looked forward to. Ennerdale resident Thembalethu Ndaba was ecstatic over the opening of the clinic.

“On behalf of the community of Ennerdale, I would like to thank the City of Johannesburg and Mayor Tau for responding to our calls when we requested a clinic. This is a great present for the people of Ennerdale and I’d like to request fellow residents to look after the clinic,” said Ndaba.

The clinic offers comprehensive primary healthcare, integrated chronic diseases management, antenatal care and tuberculosis treatment. As part of the City’s job-creation initiatives, 10% of the clinic’s construction budget was set aside for the empowerment of the local community.