On Monday, April 4 Rex Clinic in Roodepoort held their Open Day under the theme “I serve with a smile”, touching on the subjects of Substance Abuse Awareness and an Outreach Programme.
The Health and Social Department’s “I serve with a smile” campaign aims to foster a positive working environment within the sector while improving employee morale.
During the Open Day, the staff of Rex Clinic alongside the management of the City’s Region C office, pledged in front of community members to serve with care, love, respect and dignity.
Health workers also pledged to serve the community without discrimination, and that they would uphold the privacy and rights of all patients.
Present on the day were representatives of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA); Department of Home Affairs; City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Health Department; CoJ Social Development – SBU; CoJ Social Development – PWD Unit; Families South Africa (FAMSA) – West Rand; Roodepoort Police; and Westview/ Freedom Recovery Centre/ Gauteng DSD.
“In Primary Health this Open Day essentially means that it is a day when all services come together just to let the community know what is available to them when they visit the clinic. Those include social services, rehabilitation, medication, chronic care, and also what support structures are needed from the facility and community in terms of community forums. The voice of the community can also be heard in the clinics so that we can cater for everyone,” said Rex Clinic’s Operational Manager Thato Mohlala.
The event was also used to welcome and introduce Mohlala to the community as the clinic’s new Operational Manager.
Ward 84 councillor Johannes Goosen thanked the community for coming out to attend despite the cold and rainy weather.
Goosen spoke about the importance of the facility and reminded the community of their right to life and liberty, and encouraged them to strive to be as healthy as possible.
“It always brightens up my day when I see the community come out in numbers like today. In this day and age especially with this Covid-19 period, it’s not always easy to serve and be served. I really appreciate each and every one of these staff members for doing what they can in these difficult circumstances,” said Councillor Goosen.
On the day, between 30 and 35 families were identified to receive food parcels that would assist them in adhering to their medication regimen.
According to Bridget Seabe from CoJ Social Development, one of the challenges her department was facing was that people who were on chronic medication did not take their medication as they were supposed to, as a result of different challenges.
“Luckily the non-governmental organisation and disaster relief group Gift of the Givers where able to donate food parcels that we could give to the patients for the time being. We will see as if they would be able to donate more food in future,” said Seabe.
