Residents in the Johannesburg north-eastern suburbs are aggrieved by the slow pace of the construction of the long-awaited Orchards Clinic.
The clinic has been under construction for over three years and residents claimed there has been no progress.
According to Fairmount resident Paul Bacher, there was a lack of communication about the project from the City of Joburg with the community.
Bacher said, “I really feel compassion about what is happening there because people in the area really need this facility to access primary healthcare and I believe it’s a good vision from the department of health.
“Now people have to travel long distances to access the services and it is costly because they don’t have medical aids. Worse, people are made to wait in long quest at the hospitals which is frustrating.”
The project is being managed by the Joburg Development Agency (JDA) as reported in Orchards Clinic back on track, week ending 19 October 2018. It was reported then that after a number of work stoppages, the agency initiated a probe and consulted with specialist engineers to find remedies for the project.
When contacted recently, the agency’s spokesperson, Susan Munyai, said they anticipated that the project would be completed by February 2020.
“There is no longer any major work which could result in heavy delays of the project,” she added. “Much of the remaining work entails finishing [plastering, window fitting, electrical work, floor buffing].”
The remedial works and strengthening of the structure was completed to ensure that the structure complied with the new structural design, she concluded.
Related article:
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/230567/esselen-clinic-officially-opened-residents-hillbrow/
