Winner — Investing in Life Award: The Stellenbosch and Mbekweni After Hours Clinic Project
The idea for an after-hours clinic in Stellenbosch emerged in March 2006 after it became clear that other clinics were not serving specifically male workers’ needs.
Tersia Mdunge, corporate social investment (CSI) manager at Metropolitan Holdings, says up to 70% of patients at the local Infectious Diseases Clinic were women.
Men were not using clinics during the day because of work commitments and they were arriving late for treatment. ‘A male task team was formed. They discussed the need to improve male friendliness in clinics and to reassess gender-based posters and awareness campaigns,” says Mdunge.
The team set in motion the establishment of an after-hours clinic at Stellenbosch Provincial Hospital that would offer men access to HIV-related services. But during the development of the walk-in clinic, the target audience broadened to include all people who work or are unable to use services during the day.
This gave rise to the Stellenbosch and Mbekweni After Hours Clinic Project, a partnership between Metropolitan Holdings CSI, the Western Cape provincial department of health, Be Part Community Research Services, the University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch Hospice, the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, the United States Agency for International Development and the broader Stellenbosch and Mbekweni communities.
All the partners have been involved since the inception of the first afterhour’s clinic in February 2007. The second clinic in Mbekweni opened its doors in October 2007. The clinics are held once a week.
People who are HIV-positive can have their CD4 counts assessed and a care plan can be drawn up and monitored by the clinic, if they so choose. ‘The clinics strive for early treatment and empowerment of employed patients by providing professional health, psycho-social services and quality healthcare,” says Mdunge.
‘The clinics try to keep people in their jobs by regularly monitoring their health status. Information sessions are held on a regular basis to educate members of the community about health matters.”
She says the idea is to attend to each person’s needs in a neutral, friendly and safe environment, free of stigma and fear of identification. ‘Working people do seem to be accessing services on their way home, especially in Mbekweni, where the clinic is well placed on the route between the shopping centre and residential area,” says Mdunge.
The Stellenbosch clinic, in the centre of town next to a popular student bar, has attracted 42% of its clients from the student community. Men make up 40% of the people using the Stellenbosch clinic and 56% in Mbekweni.
In state hospitals and other clinics an average of only 20% of clients are men. ‘The two after-hours clinics are contributing significantly to making HIV testing and care accessible for working people in these parts of the West Coast Winelands health district. ‘What is particularly exciting is that men are accessing the service in numbers,” says Mdunge.
The Investing in the Future judges were particularly impressed by this statistic, saying the involvement of men in such large numbers made the project unique. ‘The project is comprehensive and integrated. It’s a clever partnership and innovative in its leverage,” they said. ‘It is a clear winner in this category and has the potential for upscaling and replication.”