Shap'left, a business run by a social entrepreneur is using skills and insights to bring about positive change to the manner in which healthcare is delivered in communities.
"Based on the challenges that triggered our inspirations to cub up the healthcare challenging issues of our local communities has strengthened our relationship with our township communities," Shap'left entrepreneur, Pumza Matwele said.
"It has never been so easy with our community people to access basic medication as it is now, hence the vision is determined to replicated the service to other communities. So when the opportunity arose to partner with Almar mate the Raymond Ackerman Academy (RAA) of Entrepreneurship, based at the UCT’S Graduate School of Business, and the global pharmaceutical company CIPLA, to develop the Shap’left concept, I took it with both hands and since then, has never looked back."
Matwele said that the visioned structural plan of its facility is to have a medication dispensing unit, a nursing unit with a C.D.U (Chronic medication Dispensing Unit) all in one place but set up in different communities.
This according to Matwele, is to conquer the health service challenges and the hassle of our elderly people queuing in clinics throughout the day for their medications.
"Moreover, my network of national and local wholesale pharmaceutical distributors ensures that I always have the latest and best meds available to customers. And my key partnerships with local doctors and nurses ensures that I'm able to refer where required severe cases," Matwele said.
Shap'left's feasibility studies to carry on its services by replicating its products around South Africa, shows it paramount that such products and services are delivered to many communities.
"I am not here to replace clinics, we need them in our communities, I am here to work together with other key partners to help our communities and other townships become and remain healthy – after all being healthy is just as important as being or becoming wealthy," said Matwele.
The Shap'left store is located in Spine Road, Khayalitsha in Cape Town with plans to open another soon.