The long-standing need for a larger, more efficient clinic building for Parys is becoming a reality. The new clinic, which is built at a cost of R12,5 million, will open its doors in early 2022. This well-equipped primary health- care clinic and pharmacy under one roof, is a one-of-its-kind in the Fezile Dabi district. It is being built in Buiten Street, on the grounds where the town’s original taxi rank was (behind the bowling alley and opposite Dolco Elektries.)
It will be known as the Parys Town Clinic and will replace the current town clinic in the municipal building. Sasol Mining is building and funding the project as part of its social and labour plan agreement, concluded between a mining and petroleum entity, local municipality and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy over a specific term. The Ngwathe Munici- pality has made the land available and the Department of Health will furnish and equip the clinic. What makes the clinic unique is that the floor plan is laid out according to the so-called “ideal clinic” model. It ensures patient flow with the core focus areas being chronic diseases, maternal and child health and acute services.
It also offers pharmaceutical services, dentistry, dietetics and rehabilitation services. In the past, the public works department built clinics according to a standard model, the layout of which was not ideal for patient service. Sasol’s architects helped sign the building plans for the new clinic within the constraints of the building site and budget, in consultation with the health department and senior management of the Fezile Dabi district health office. The total floor space of the clinic is 730 m² on a site of 2,700 m². Not only is there a much larger waiting area, but there are also several consulting rooms for the doctor, dentist and visiting therapists – each with their own waiting room. The bathrooms are baby- and wheelchair friendly.
Provision has been made for an emergency room for ambulance personnel who have to transport patients from the clinic to the hospital, sufficient and well-planned space where patients have to report and receive their files at two service points, and a records room. The clinic manager’s office is centrally located and there is also an intercom system to call patients. Provision has even been made for power and water supply so that service delivery will not be interrupted.
Different from the current clinic setup, the pharmacy is now in the clinic building so that when the patients finish their consultation, they can get their medication at the service counter and move out. There will be 24-hour security on-site and provision for medical and chemical waste disposal according to legal requirements. Although the plan was initially to build the clinic last year, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed its construction. Upon completion, the clinic will serve people from Parys and the farming community. A clinic’s service area is linked to its geographical location.
The greater Parys currently has six clinics, besides the main one in Parys. They include the Thabang Clinic, Vivian Mangwane Modular Clinic, the Thusanong Clinic and Tumahole Clinic (for the Tumahole community) and the Schonkenville Clinic (for Schonkenville). Ngwathe has 14 primary healthcare facilities (clinics), three mobile clinics and 2 district hospitals (Parys and Heilbron). In addition to primary healthcare and hospital referrals, clinics provide a valuable prevention and awareness service. Based on statistics from 2017/18, an estimated 17,786 people move through the Parys clinic annually. This means an average of 1,314 people uses the Parys Clinic’s services every month. The part of the municipal building where the Parys Clinic is currently located, used to be the municipal clinic. The Department of Health later used it as the primary healthcare clinic. How-ever, limited space, severe cracks in the walls, nagging water and electricity problems and a pharmacy that was too small and far from the clinic have made the current building a nightmare for staff and patients in terms of administrative tasks and patient service.
The lack of storage space for medical waste, according to legal requirements, was also a limitation. But, the biggest frustration was the waiting area that was too small, causing patients to stand outside in long queues for long periods from early in the morning without shelter. Some of the consulting rooms were eventually used for offices and some of the offices as storage rooms. The clinic manager’s office also had to be used as a consultation room. However, the situation will be a thing of the past when the new clinic building will officially open in 2022.
More about the building project:
Outstanding aspects of the building project are the positive way in which the Ngwathe Municipality, Department of Health and Sasol Mining collaborated to identify a suitable site. They determined the services the clinic would provide, the layout of the building and the collaboration and support of all parties during the construction phase. Emerging local contractors were used, who also subcontracted the work to other local businesses. An experienced team of architects is supporting the main contractor, ensuring that the building meets the necessary standards.
The Sasol Mining project team provides ongoing support to the main contractor to apply good project management principles. During the execution phase, health and safety continue to be Sasol’s highest priority, with a strong focus on safety on the construction site. An experienced safety officer supports the main contractor and sub-contractors full time.
