Mayor unveils R33.4-million Westbury healthcare centre

07 December 2016

 

The wait is finally over for quality and easily accessible primary healthcare services for the residents of Westbury, in the City of Johannesburg’s Region B.

 

On Tuesday December 6, Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba officially opened a R33.4-million state-of-the-art healthcare centre that will service more than 550 000 residents of Westbury and surrounding areas, ending years of neglect, long queues and inadequate healthcare services.

Community members came in their numbers to witness the dawn of a new era. The clinic, which forms part of the Perth-Empire Corridor, consists of 18 multipurpose consulting rooms. It will offer chronic and acute care, antiretroviral treatment and care, TB services, mother-and-child health services, mental healthcare, rehabilitation services, social work, youth-friendly services and healthy lifestyle programmes.

In his address, Mayor Mashaba said the clinic symbolised the winds of change blowing through Johannesburg.
He said the opening of the clinic showed that the City was working towards building a caring local government that responded to the needs of the people.

“We are your servants; we are here to ensure that you have all the basic services you require,” said Mayor Mashaba.

He said the City’s primary responsibility was to channel resources to those who needed them the most. Mayor Mashaba said the city understood that the clinic was not only for Westbury residents but also for those in surrounding areas.

The clinic starts operating on Wednesday December 7.

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health and Social Development Cllr Mpho Phalatse noted that the previous clinic catered for 250 patients at a time with only five professional nurses and no emergency room.

“I’d like to acknowledge the work that the former MMC for Health and Social Development, Cllr Nonceba Molwele, and her team have done to bring this clinic to life,” said Phalatse.

She urged residents to take ownership of the clinic by looking after it, protecting it and not allowing people to vandalise it.

Community member Rose van Zyl said the new clinic meant that residents would access healthcare services at their doorstep. “We’ll no longer spend the whole day at the clinic. We’re truly grateful to the City for this lifetime gift,” said Van Zyl.