Global Public Health Week: Clinics with a unique concept

DURING the Covid-19 pandemic, the public health field became more apparent, and in maintaining this awareness, the World Federation of Public Health Association initiated Global Public Health Week (GPHW) three years ago.

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During GPHW, public health comes under the spotlight. One such public health facility is Unjani Clinic which has a unique concept. The non-profit clinics, which are based all over South Africa, with eight in the eThekwini District, are exempt micro-enterprises – they are 100% Black-women-owned – with the beneficiaries of the funding creating jobs in their clinics.

They are owned and managed by nurses who provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to communities in low-income areas of South Africa.

Lynda Touissant, CEO of Unjani Clinic, said the concept was developed out of the need for urgent transformation in the healthcare system in South Africa.

“The fact that our country faces the triple affliction of HIV, Aids and TB; the fact that more than 80% of our population are dependent on an overburdened public system and a costly curative-care-based model versus disease prevention and promotion, were all motivating factors in the conceptions of Unjani Clinic,” she said.

“There is a need to empower nurses and to introduce increased para-skilling within our healthcare system to deal with the shortage of doctors. This is becoming increasingly important as the healthcare demands of South Africans are changing. If we don’t keep our nurses in the country through opportunities like Unjani Clinic, we will lose them to other countries,” added Touissant.

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Funds are generated from donors supporting Unjani Clinics NPC through grants and interest-free loans for the facility, equipment and working capital support for the nurses. In addition, the nurses are charged a monthly network fee which helps sustain some of the operating expenses of the non-profit company.

“Health education, screening and preventative services underpin what Unjani Clinics are all about. We offer a bundled price of consultation, including medication, which helps clients understand the cost of the service – our prices and services are published on our website, are transparent and are offered across all Unjani Clinics,” she said.

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