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The Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre (WHWC) in Johannesburg was established in 1946 in response to the lack of healthcare facilities in the area. Its objective is to ensure that deprived communities surrounding the clinic have access to high-quality, comprehensive medical care facilities. It offers a variety of services, including paediatrics, a TB clinic, a family planning and well women clinic, an HIV/Aids clinic, and social welfare services.

A donation of R1.1m from the our Chairman's Fund towards a refurbishment project is set to directly benefit the health capacity of the centre, with a 45% increase in the total number of direct beneficiaries. The refurbishment has seen an existing building within the centre altered into a double-storey facility. Subsequently, the ground floor now has further space for facilities such as consulting rooms and a pharmacy storeroom, whilst the first floor has space for a laboratory, a boardroom, a training room, and an archives room.

 

 

Pranill Ramchander, head of corporate communications and branding for Anglo American in South Africa, said that the refurbishment will provide vital assistance in servicing the community at large, and is therefore consistent with the chairman's fund's commitment and dedication to widespread health initiatives.

 The clinic provides much-needed services to a substantial population group, and refurbishment was necessary as the centre had reached its capacity in terms of the previous infrastructure. As a result, the clinic can now offer a comprehensive, high-quality healthcare service, allowing for a strengthening health system for local communities.

Pranill Ramchander Head of corporate communications and branding for Anglo American in South Africa

The number of people accessing services in the centre has doubled over the past 10 years. The previous infrastructure was therefore no longer adequate to service the nearly 400 people who visited the centre daily, while a 20% increase in HIV figures and a 20% increase in antenatal figures resulted in many patients being turned away. The new refurbishment now effectively addresses these issues to provide sustainable healthcare solutions to the communities. Most beneficiaries tend to access more than one treatment or service, with supplementary services including the provision of food parcels, counselling services, and HIV care and ARV treatment.

Ramchander says that the Chairman's Fund's continued support of community health programmes such as WHWC will strengthen South Africa's healthcare systems. "The chairman's fund is delighted to be able to contribute towards this development, as we believe that projects such as these are crucial towards bettering people's lives, and will not only ensure that real change is brought about in the immediate term, but that our communities' healthcare needs are adequately provided for in the long term."

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