The Unjani Clinics initiative responds to a number of government concerns in South Africa, including transforming the healthcare system, job creation and entrepreneurship. It empowers black women professional nurses to operate and ultimately own primary healthcare container clinics in their communities. In addition, each clinic creates between three and five sustainable jobs.
The clinics offer an affordable, quality primary healthcare service and supply of quality medicines to those who are uninsured and underserved but employed and able to pay a small fee towards their healthcare needs. For patients, the clinics reduce time and travel costs incurred accessing state facilities, which are underresourced. The network reaches around 480 000 patients annually.
Conceptualised in 2010, the Unjani Clinics initiative currently has 80 clinics providing affordable primary healthcare to people living in low-income communities and employing in excess of 300 people.
The meaning
of Unjani
“Unjani” in both Zulu and Xhosa means, “How are you?”
At Unjani Clinics, we believe in the holistic health of our patients, not just their physical health but their general well being. Using the broad term “how are you” thus encompasses mental (mind), physical (body) and spiritual (soul) well being.
Goals
and objectives
The vision of the network is to:
- build a successful network of nurse owned and operated clinics
- set the benchmark for delivering quality and affordable healthcare services to the people of South Africa
- serve the network with the same passionate commitment that they provide to their patients
- provide business mentoring and coaching for sustainable enterprises
