Community members have also complained about medicine stock outs.

Community members have also complained about medicine stock outs.

The clinic services an estimated 31,000 people from communities north of Pretoria including parts of Soshanguve, Winterveld and Skierlik.

The expansion of the clinic began around June 2014, according to Mashigo who added that the total cost of the upgrade is about R25 million.

AIDS lobby group the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has welcomed the clinic’s upgrade after community complaints that also include medicine stock outs.

“We have been at loggerheads with the facility management and the sub-district with regards to the challenges faced by the community and this facility,” said TAC treatment literacy practitioner Brenda Masango, who thanked the city.

Pensioner and diabetes patient July Langa told OurHealth he hoped that the upgrade would put an end to years of consultations in containers and wendy houses.

“We came into this area around 1990 and have been attended inside a brown tent to containers, zozos (wendy houses) and now the proper structure,” he said. “I am so happy and hope that the issue of medicine stock outs will come to an end.”

Delivering his 2014/15 budget speech, Tshwane Executive Mayor Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the budget clearly demonstrated the city’s commitment to respond to ever increasing service delivery demands like the construction of the new clinic.

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