A 5-star rave review for Alex’s 4th Avenue Clinic
The 4th Avenue Clinic in Alexandra has come out tops from all the township’s four clinics when it comes to the nursing staff’s treatment of patients on the premises.
It is not an everyday occurrence for a public institution, let alone a clinic in Alexandra, to be given a five-star rave review by its own residents.
This was the case for the 4th Avenue Clinic in Alexandra when it held a commemorative event to mark World TB Day on March 29.
The day was also used as an awareness campaign under the theme; Yes, We Can Stop TB, which is regarded as one of the world’s biggest killers by the World Health Organisation.
Alex TB survivor Selina Nkuna said she owed her life today to the nurses at the clinic. “Each time I come here, I see the Batho Pele [people first] spirit is alive and kicking. I don’t get to hear about it but I experience it first hand, and big up to the nurses for a job well done and please keep it up,” she said.
She added she had overcome the disease through ‘a strict regime of diligently taking my medication and would like to assure everybody that yes, we can beat this disease if we all observe the daily protocol and take our medicine right up to the finish line’.
Nkuna urged other patients to follow in her footsteps. “Your health is in your hands and never mind the stigma other people may attach to you, it’s for your own health.”
Her words about the clinic were echoed by Pastor Stephanie Nyirenda who conducts pastoral visits to all the clinics in Alex. “I can also vouch for the 4th Avenue Clinic. I visit all these clinics on a weekly basis and this clinic has always come tops,” she said.
Asked about their recipe for success, the operations manager for the clinic Sister Eveline Madiga said the Batho Pele spirit had been inculcated in the minds of staff. “I always tell my staff that a smile accompanied by good treatment to a patient, plays the role of a healing tonic.
“If a patient walks into the clinic and is well received and treated, that patient automatically gets some form of relief that flows into their veins to assure him/her that you are in good hands here and all will go well regardless of your ailment. That’s the power of a smile as a healing tonic,” Madiga said.
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