Donate today to extend the Embo Philakade Primary Health Clinic, providing essential health care services for the community

Over the past five years, the number of consultations managed by the Embo Philakade Primary Health Clinic has increased by 45%, putting serious pressure on existing staff and space.

On top of this, the clinic team are struggling to respond to the various health crises facing their community with the facilities that they currently have.

MAI is supporting the clinic to build an extension that will house a new dental service, alongside other vital health services, helping the clinic team to provide the best care for the growing number of patients they serve.

The good news is that every £1 you give in October will become £2 as part of our Twice Gold appeal, until the pledge fund has been matched.

Every £45 could help build a square foot of the extension (doubled to two square feet)

Gerald was in terrible pain. He was suffering from advanced tooth decay – some of  his teeth were broken and he could only eat soft foods.

In Embo, the extremely poor community where he lives, there is currently no dentist. The nearest reliable free dental clinic is 22 miles away, which would require two bus journeys. Many people in Embo simply can’t afford to make this journey.

This is just one of many barriers that people in Embo face when they encounter dental problems, and has led to a significant number of people experiencing of untreated dental disease, poor oral-health awareness and delayed access to treatment. Gerald is one of those who didn’t seek treatment when his dental problems first began.

When Gerald was visiting the Embo clinic for something else, he happened to meet Lesley, a dentist who had come to discuss starting a dental clinic in Embo. Seeing the condition of Gerald’s teeth, Lesley strongly encouraged Gerald to come to his private practice, just three miles away, to have his rotten teeth removed and replaced with dentures, free of charge.

“Now I am confident in myself and am able to chew without pain,” says Gerald. He is pictured here with his new dentures.

Pastor Leonard and members of the clinic team in the space where the extension will be built.

Lesley has offered to help set up a dental service in the Embo Philakade Primary Health Clinic.

But there is no space for it.

Pastor Leonard, Lead Pastor at Embo Community Church, is asking for your support to help build the extension where more people like Gerald can receive vital dental treatment.

Double your gift this October!

Every £1 you give in October will become £2, until the pledge fund has been matched.

£45 could help to build a square foot of the extension (doubled to two square feet)

£90 could help to build two square feet of the extension (doubled to four square feet)

What else will this extension be used for?

Over the past five years, the number of consultations managed by the clinic has increased by 45%, putting serious pressure on existing staff and space. The clinic is no longer able to provide the quality of care needed without expanding its facilities.

Alongside the new dental clinic, the extension will also house a consultation space that will be used for different clinics on different days. These will seek to address vital health priorities:

– An adolescents clinic:  The area faces a severe crisis in teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Births to mothers under the age of 20 make up approximately 16.4% of all births in KwaZulu‑Natal; in the UK the figure is 2.2%. The service will work in partnership with school adolescent-care teams and provide health checks, sexual and reproductive‑health education, STI testing and treatment, and prevention education to address teenage pregnancy.

– A men’s clinic: An Africa Health research regional study found 71% of men with active health symptoms did not seek care. A dedicated men’s clinic aims to improve attendance and reduce late diagnosis and referral, especially for HIV and STIs.

– A mother‑and‑child clinic: Mothers and children coming for antenatal care and postnatal care currently attend alongside general patients. In a busy clinic, nurses feel they are not able to spend enough time with these mothers, leading to oversight of critical details. They also believe they cannot dedicate sufficient time to women experiencing traumatic circumstances. Having a separate space for these women and children will allow the staff to give them the attention they need.

How much will the extension cost?

We are aiming to raise £34,000 for the building and £20,000 to equip the dental clinic.

What will you do if the target is reached?

The next phase would be to build an additional floor to the extension, which would house an eye clinic and a training room.

How will these new services be run?

While the Embo clinic is a private clinic run by Embo Community Church, the department of health has agreed to fund additional nursing, medicines, and consumables for adolescent and men’s health; a dental nurse and consumables; and locum dentists.

A dentist has volunteered to help set up the service and run patient clinics. MAI may contribute towards increased running costs through supporters making regular gifts – we will keep you updated about how you could be involved if this is needed.

I have given a gift to help extend the clinic. What else can I do?

There are two more things you can do to help us reach our target:

• Tell others about this appeal. We would really appreciate it if you could share this with your church or anyone you know who may like to support the work of the Embo clinic.
• Pray. Please pray that God will make this project possible, that he will bless those involved in making it happen, and that he will use it to bring health and hope to the Embo community.

If you prefer to donate by bank transfer MAI’s details are:

Account name: Medic Assist International
Account number: 00018761
Sort code: 40-52-40

Reference: Emboclinic