New Cosmo City clinic opens to drive down the cost of healthcare in SA
Johannesburg –Wednesday, 12 December 2018: A new primary healthcare clinic in Johannesburg’s Cosmo City will bring relief to working people around Cosmo City who can’t afford private health insurance but also don’t want to wait in long queues at the local clinic or to travel to the closest public hospitals which are at least 30 minutes away. The clinic also plans to support the re-engineering of primary healthcare in South Africa which includes driving down the costs of private healthcare.
The Esizayo Clinic has all the features of a modern facility and offers best-practice primary healthcare services as a doctor and nurse practice including medication at an affordable price. Launched today, the clinic is an initiative of health NGO Right to Care which has set up a new unit called Right Clinic to support the Department of Health in providing fee-for-service primary healthcare in communities where healthcare access is difficult. The Esizayo Clinic is for those who can afford to pay an affordable fee for healthcare without queuing.
Patients pay R350 which includes a consultation with a doctor or nurse, screening, testing and medication. Antiretrovirals and immunisation are extra, although Right Clinic is working to offer these at reduced prices. The clinic offers acute care, chronic care, treatment of minor ailments, mother and child healthcare and screening for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, TB, HIV, sexually transmitted infections, cervical and prostate cancer.
Speaking at the Esizayo Clinic launch, MEC for Gauteng Health, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa said, “The clinic at the multipurpose centre in Cosmo City sees as many as 4 000 patients per month. The Cosmo City population of more than 70 000 is growing fast. Hence this clinic is much-needed here and will relieve the burden at nearby facilities.”
Professor Ian Sanne, CEO of Right to Care, comments: “We are focused on delivering the gold standard of primary healthcare at a reduced price and will use the Esizayo Clinic as a model for how to expand into communities which have insufficient healthcare access. The clinic is also a learning hub. We have partnered with the University of Witwatersrand’s Health Sciences Faculty which will incorporate the clinic into their teaching programmes.”
Managing director of Right Clinic, Wendy Ovens, explained that, “While there are a number of private GPs in the area, they are unaffordable for many. This clinic which is aligned with the National Department of Health’s Ideal Clinic programme has paperless patient records, a data gathering system, wheelchair access, 24-hour security and the latest healthcare technologies.”
Prof Sanne added that, “The 2.2-hectare site may expand to accommodate a 16-room public primary healthcare facility, a 100-bed private hospital and shared services that include a maternity section, pharmacy, medication pick up point and 24-hour emergency room.”
Esizayo is from the isiZulu word meaning ‘the one that helps’ or ‘something that is coming’. Esizayo Clinic is located on the corner of Malibongwe Drive and Tennessee Avenue in Cosmo City and operates Monday to Friday 8am – 4pm T (010) 493 6950.
ENDS
Photographs available on request
Right Clinic
Right Clinic, a division of health NGO Right to Care, will re-engineer primary healthcare in South Africa to drive down the costs of private healthcare. It fills the gap for patients not covered by medical aid but able to pay towards healthcare services. It will demonstrate a sustainable and socially responsible model for the private sector delivery of primary healthcare services and will support the need for an expanded teaching platform to increase the number of health profession graduates. Its first clinic has opened in Cosmo City, Esizayo Clinic. Patients pay R350 which includes a consultation with a doctor or nurse, screening, testing and medication. Antiretrovirals and immunisation are extra.
Right to Care
Right to Care is South Africa’s largest health NGO, responding to public health needs by supporting and delivering innovative, quality healthcare solutions, based on the latest medical research and best practices. Right to Care supports and delivers prevention, care and treatment services for HIV and tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa. Through technical assistance, Right to Care supports the private sector, the SA National Department of Health and its provinces and districts and the Department of Correctional Services. In addition, through direct service delivery, Right to Care treats patients for HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infections. Through Right to Care International, it also supports governments beyond SA’s borders.
For further information, interviews or photographs please contact Turquoise PR:
- Alexandra van Essche 082 321 1167 alexandra@turquoisepr.co.za
- Michelle K Blumenau 083 273 9891 michelle@turquoisepr.co.za