File Photo.

The Eastern Cape MEC for Health, Phumza Dyantyi, confirmed that the new clinic, housed in a state of art building, will be opening in August and will be available residents of Lusikisiki and surrounding areas.

“It is long overdue. People of Lusikisiki have been demanding better health care facilities and we are now finally meeting their demands by creating a clinic that has examining rooms, a wide waiting area and a pharmacy.  More than R67 million has been spent to build a clinic which is expected to service villages surrounding the town,” Dyantyi said.

People of Lusikisiki have been demanding better health care facilities and we are now finally meeting their demands by creating a clinic that has examining rooms, a wide waiting area and a pharmacy.

Reduce workload

The clinic will also reduce work overload to Gateway Clinic healthcare workers who attend to more than 1200 patients a day and more than 10 000 patients a month. She said delays caused by building contractors meant that the clinic could not open in January as originally planned, with the operational date now scheduled for August.

Thandeka Hlongwane, Eastern Cape Provincial Coordinator for Treatment Action Campaign, said they were extremely happy with the development.

“It has been a long journey. The people of Lusikisiki complained that they were deprived of dignity and decent health care services because there was no permanent structure and tents were used as consultation rooms. There were was no privacy and nurses could not screen patients well as everyone in the queue could hear everything said to nurses. Patients had no choice but to queue for long hours in unfavorable weather conditions.”