Glencore Alloys South Africa, handed over the Bethanie Clinic healthcare facility near Brits to the Department of Health. In celebration of the new state of the art healthcare facility, Mr. Madoda Sambatha, MEC of Health was in attendance to facilitate the handover and address the community which was even more poignant at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Sambatha was accompanied by MEC’s for Education and Social Development as well as Kgosikgolo Tebogo Mamogale and esteemed members of the Bakwena BaMogopa community to show their support and gratitude while adhering to strict protocol ensuring social distancing and gathering regulations. The Premier of the North West Province, Professor Job Mokgoro, gave the keynote address via social media livestream.
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“Our communities have hosted mining companies for many years hence the reason why we as Glencore decisively embrace this shared responsibility with government to act against the pandemic in our host communities. We are extremely proud to handover the Bethanie Clinic to the Department of Health as we are reassured that our members of the community will get necessary and adequate healthcare during this crisis and well beyond the pandemic. It is important to us that members of the community have hope and dignity during these trying times. This state of the art facility is sound proof of how we succeed when institutionalizing cooperation between mining companies and doorstep communities. We can Progress Together for prosperity”, said Japie Fullard, Glencore Ferroalloys CEO.
The old Bethanie Clinic had become run down and ill-equipped to treat the more than 3,500 people who were visiting on a monthly basis from nearby villages in the remote parts of the North West province. To respond to this challenge, Glencore built the all new state of the art Bethanie Clinic right across from the old one. Glencore constructed the clinic at a total cost of R30 million and it now serves a broader community of over 27 000 people.
The facility consists of a patient registration area, a waiting room, an admission room, two observation rooms, an emergency room, four consultation rooms, TB rooms, dentist’s rooms, a pharmacy, a staff kitchen, a green room, ablution facilities, a boardroom, a data server room and a patient record room. It also boasts a brand-new neo-natal ward, complete with two delivery rooms, a four-bed ante-natal room and a six-bed post-natal room, which has a baby booth and two bathrooms with showers. Furthermore, the Clinic is equipped with a 21,000-litre water reservoir and an emergency generator with a diesel capacity of 2,000 litres.
This improved establishment comes at a very crucial time as Covid-19 numbers increase and members of the community need an accessible healthcare facility where they can be tested. Thus, the handover at this time is critical as the clinic promises to intensify Covid-19 screening during this time.
At the Bethanie Clinic handover, Mr Sambatha conveyed gratitude from Department of Health for the gold status, fully equipped health facility. “Bethanie Clinic is already one of the best clinics in the province because of its’ gold status. The Bethanie clinic is NHI ready in response to Covid-19 and meets the community’s needs for a facility that holistically caters to their healthcare needs,” said Madoda Sambatha, MEC of Health.
The mining giant, has shown continued support to communities surrounding their operations and beyond. Glencore’s initiatives span across various streams from healthcare to education and the main objective of all these initiatives and outreach programs is to ensure that it builds a better tomorrow for the future of South Africa. Glencore continues to work tirelessly to assist government in its efforts to relieve the strain of the pandemic.
To celebrate the handover of the Bethanie Clinic, Acting Mayor Cllr Michael Mhlu as well as Kgosikgolo Tebogo Mamogale, from the Tribal office were in attendance to support this momentous occasion. Members of the community were able to livestream the handover of Bethanie Clinic to witness this very auspicious occasion.
Furthermore, in light of celebrating South Africa’s icon, Nelson Mandela, and in the spirit of good deeds, Glencore’s Rhovan mine has donated medical packs to the nurses of Bethanie Clinic as well as a generous donation of PPE to the Lerothodi High School all to the value of R520 000 in addition to the official handover of the Bethanie Clinic.
Image Courtesy: Supplied
