The University of Pretoria’s Department of Family Medicine, in collaboration with other disciplines and faculties – including various health fields such as dietetics, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, physio- and speech and language pathology students and faculty members as well as disciplines that include business, engineering and architecture – has for the last seven years offered health care in various informal settlements throughout Pretoria.

This encompasses health care that addresses the physical, socio-emotional and spiritual needs of people within the context of a specific community. Intervention the Department of Family Medicine at UP has three primary care clinics that offer primary care consultations and treatment in vulnerable communities at no charge to the residents. These sites are Zama Zama, Melusi and Woodlane Village. Community health workers at each of these sites are employed from within the community and are supported by community-oriented primary care (COPC) clinical managers on site. A roaming health team from UP with a doctor, dietician and environmental health officer visit each informal settlement clinic weekly offering services that are supported on-site by the local community health workers that do household visits throughout the week and NGOs that support each of the community activities for each respective site.

Impact The holistic health services focus on maternal and child health, early detection and referral for management of chronic diseases that include communicable diseases such as TB and HIV and non-communicable diseases including hypertension and diabetes. The primary health care services are supported by dietetic consultations that include nutritional assessment and supplementation of vulnerable groups, social services, group counselling, community needs assessment and individual development is focused on the safety and independence of the person, including business and socio-spiritual stimuli. On the 2nd of September 2021, the Zama Zama Informal Settlement, one of the Informal Settlement Health project vaccine sites, held a Covid-19 vaccine day for its community members. Zama Zama is a migrant community – residents move frequently across borders to neighbouring countries and other provinces to seek better opportunities or leave children with other family members periodically as the need arises. Another vaccine site includes Melusi Clinic, based in the Melusi informal settlement, which usually hosts its vaccination days every second Tuesday of the month.

For more queries, please contact Sr. Mulalo Mukwevho on [email protected] and

Ms Rebaone Molebatsi on [email protected]