By Staff Reporter
Johannesburg - Fourways non-profit Witkoppen Clinic will be discontinuing its community HIV testing services, effective from October 1.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the termination of funding of the programme by external sources, the clinic no longer has access to the financial resources necessary to offer HIV testing in communities.
The clinic’s facility-based care will continue as normal.
“Following the onset of the pandemic, all fund-raising activities planned for the 2019/2020 financial year were cancelled, with our reserve funds allocated to service patients during the pandemic. To ensure organisational and financial stability for the 2020/2021 financial year, we will unfortunately have to retrench 126 employees,” says Dr Jean Bassett, director at Witkoppen Clinic.
While Witkoppen staff will no longer be able to provide HIV testing within communities, the clinic itself will remain open to care for the community’s health needs, as it has done for many years.
In order to keep the affected staff employed, Witkoppen Clinic is appealing to potential funders and donors for assistance. With funding, the clinic would be able to continue HIV testing, TB and Covid-19 screening in Diepsloot and surrounding areas, providing an essential service to help fight the spread of Covid-19, HIV and TB - the biggest infectious disease killer worldwide.
Bassett encourages other organisations looking for assistance with HIV and Covid-19 community testing to reach out to the clinic.
“Our community HIV testing services team has experience testing within informal settlements and is equipped with a skillset ideal for Covid-19 community contact tracing.
“We care about our staff and understand that their income is vital, especially during these trying times. Although this is a tough period for our clinic, we remain positive that together, we can make a plan to secure the funding needed to support our employees,” says Bassett.
The clinic services around 1.4million people from informal settlements in Diepsloot, Kyasands, and surrounding areas, providing comprehensive healthcare to almost 10000 patients every month. For more information, visit their website at www.witkoppen.org.za
The Star