Providing access to private healthcare services for low-income households in her community is how Gugu Khumalo seeks to “serve God through people”.
Khumalo, a community leader based in Umlazi, south of Durban, opened the MPathy clinic, a private medical facility in the township’s E-section last week, the first of its kind in the province.
She told TimesLIVE Premium she had the vision to open a clinic even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, seeing the struggles women and the elderly had in trying to access healthcare when their nearest facilities — Prince Mshiyeni Memorial hospital and Umlazi G clinic — are all some kilometres away.
“We saw that there was a need to have a healthcare facility in the area because there is none close by. It’s not nice seeing people leaving home at 3am only to return around 7pm because there is only one facility and it caters for the whole of Umlazi and surrounding townships like Isipingo, Mbumbulu and Umgababa, so can you imagine the crowds that come? So if we can extend our hand to government to say here’s another infrastructure, let’s meet halfway,” she said.
“It was risky especially for women and the elderly because they had to leave very early in the morning, so we decided to look into how we can get a healthcare facility to this community, so today is a dream come true.”
She then went about finding out what was possible for someone who wanted to open a facility in their community and wrote numerous proposals for funding with little feedback.
That was until Rhiza Holdings responded to one of those proposals and brought MPathy clinic, sponsoring her dream of being a nursepreneur — an entrepreneur in the healthcare space.
MPathy is a township development organisation that helps provide low-income households with affordable access to high-quality private healthcare services.
The clinic is the ninth in the country, with similar facilities in Gugulethu, Cape Town and Soweto in Gauteng, and Khumalo is the only nursepreneur who is not a medical professional.
Though not free, Khumalo insists it will improve the lives of community members.
“It’s not free, it’s a private clinic, but it’s very affordable. For R150 you get a consultation, tests and medication, so it will be very helpful in the community. We won’t have to spend the whole day in overcrowded clinics.”
The clinic is situated at Family Worship Centre, a church founded by her father, Apostle Mbambo.
It has the latest in primary healthcare technology including a 3D ultrasound machine and telemedicine services enabling patients to consult a doctor five days a week.
Services are tailored to the requirements of the community, such as emergency services, chronic disease management, child health and immunisations, reproductive health, HCT (HIV Counselling, Testing, ARVs) and other services.
It consists of one consultation room with professional nurses, administration staff and community workers, but Khumalo is optimistic that will grow overtime.
“The more the demand increases then we will add more consultation rooms, but for now we have to take it step by step because I know for a fact that this will grow.”
Khumalo said opening the clinic in women’s month was a source of pride.
“This couldn’t come at a more opportune time as it is women’s month because it shows how much we can do as women if we put our minds to it.
“1956 is our perfect example that once a women sets her eye on something she will go at it with all her might and power.”
Lindiwe Msomi, ward 8 councillor, said: “This facility will be very important especially for women because I believe there will also be programmes to teach them more about taking proper care of the female body ... to avoid cases of HIV and teenage pregnancy.”
She said they had been asking for a government mobile clinic for years, but financial constraints made that impossible.
“This facility will make a huge difference to their lives because this clinic is in walking distance so they will save money and time when they need their medication. I’m very happy because we’ve been asking for a mobile clinic for years.”
Latisha Jacobs, head of market access and co-operate affairs at Beatrice, one of the funders, said this was a collaboration the company was proud of, and she expects it to be another one that shows the success of private-public partnerships in the health space.
“We are in favour of supporting the government. We’ve partnered with the government in a large number of projects. We’re all for ensuring access, so if it works via private-public partnerships we’re all for it. We want to do what we can to support access and healthcare,” she said.
“We want to drive access to healthcare, it’s something we’re passionate about and something amazing to know we’re helping people access healthcare.”
For Khumalo, helping out the disadvantaged is part of her DNA, largely cultivated by her father.
“I’m a pastor’s daughter: my father is Apostle Mbambo of this church, so I’ve seen how they’ve served God through people. We don’t just preach.”
She has displayed her love for community-uplifting initiatives through various ways over the years, working with the church, including a soup kitchen to ensure the elderly had food to take with their medication. She also founded a crèche.
“We started with a soup kitchen, but we also saw that there were many youngsters roaming these streets, so we decided to look after them. We registered with social development and opened a crèche and preschool,” she said.
Yet even all those deeds have not absolved her from her fair share of obstacles.
The biggest came with the 2021 July riots which threatened to obliterate the school. It was left in ruins with the roof partially destroyed and everything inside either stolen or vandalised, leaving the total amount of damage at about R2m.
“The 2021 looting hit us hard, we were supposed to shut down, but when you dream and have a vision, it will give you courage to get up every morning and try again to fulfil it. That’s what kept me going.”
She eventually got financial aid from #RevivingTownshipEconomies initiative. Three years later, Umdeni crèche is fully operational again.
“The church has adopted two schools where they donate porridge and school uniforms.”
She said the clinic would uplift the community in a number of ways, including creating opportunities for unemployed graduates, but it was also up to the health department to come on board.
“We have to meet them somewhere. We have extended our hand and formed partnerships, like we did with MPathy, because we can’t build hospitals by ourselves. Now the department of health must come on board with medication.”
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