Young Brown's Farm
resident brings a present
to a community leader
to celebrate the new health
care facility in her community
For the past 12 years health services for the residents of Brown's Farm, Philippi, have been rendered under difficult circumstances from 12 shipping containers. Now this regrettable situation that has deprived these residents of decent health facilities is over since the Western Cape Government's Department of Transport and Public Works has delivered a new Community Health Centre in to this community.
During the opening ceremony, Minister Fransman said his department has once again demonstrated its commitment to deliver quality facilities to the previously disadvantaged communities for them to enjoy the fruits of democracy of South Africa and make the Western Cape a home that equally cares for all its citizens.
"My department has accelerated the delivery of social infrastructure in order to respond to both the client departments and communities' demands. We have built and maintained more schools and health facilities than ever in the history of this province and we plan to maintain this momentum. We have also ensured that through these constructions, we create work opportunities. The construction of this Community Health Centre in Brown's Farm has created 422 work opportunities - 38 people employed per month" he said.
The new Community Health Care Centre currently serves a population of approximately 80 000 people and are treating approximately 35 000 patients per year. The new facility will have 6 consulting rooms, a dressing room, an emergency room, a seminar room for training purposes and a tuberculoses (TB) sputum room.
Community Members celebrate the opening of the new Brown's Farm clinic
Some of the quality health care services that will now be rendered at the facility include emergency care, TB detection, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), nutrition programmes and support groups for chronic care such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma "We are now busy with 6 schools in Khayelitsha with a total value of more than R100m and two 240 beds hospitals in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain. Each hospital will be worth approximately R300m.
"Together with the Departments of Health and Education we have identified 77 major projects with a combined investment of R19, 9 billion that could be implemented and completed by 2014. These projects include:
- 60 new schools
- 12 new and upgraded hospitals
- 4 regional offices and one head office block for government departments.
