Earlier this year, Cluster Head for South East and West Africa at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Colin Tyrer, took on the gruelling eight-day ABSA Cape Epic mountain bike stage race to raise funds meant to further empower an Unjani Clinic nurse from a Bayer sponsored clinic. These funds will assist Sister Khosi to continue doing what she loves – which is ensuring that her community receives the best healthcare and that she has the necessary resources to do that.
Unjani Clinics NPC are a network of black women-owned that provide low-cost primary healthcare services to communities in low-income areas and with a goal of reducing the need for extended medical services at overburdened public health establishments[1].
Through this clinic, and the funds raised through donations by Bayer staff and stakeholders, Sister Khosi can now become part of this service delivery model that is making a major difference in the way South Africans can access healthcare.
Today an event held at Unjani Clinic Lufhereng in Soweto saw the results of this endeavour, with another Bayer sponsored clinic handover to Sister Khosi, from Monsterlus in Limpopo.
In his speech to Sister Khosi, clinic staff, media, Bayer staff, and stakeholders, Tyrer said that “this handover reflects Bayer’s commitment to empower women and promote the well-being and health of communities around South Africa”.
“Inspired by Bayer’s vision of Health for All, Hunger for None, this ongoing partnership shows the commitment to transformation and collective contribution to sustainable communities and livelihoods. Bayer is proud to partner with such an innovative network, helping with a solution to bring quality, reliable, and affordable healthcare directly to the communities across South Africa,” Tyrer says.
“Sister Khosi was selected as the deserving candidate for the funding based on her conditional acceptance from University of Johannesburg for her studies toward Primary Healthcare (PHC) 2nd qualification. Since 2020, we have opened 16 clinics with Bayer, and we are so thankful to this ongoing relationship. Not only is Unjani Clinics NPC an investment in the socio-economic welfare of our country, but it is also an investment in people – providing the skills and tools for women to empower themselves and to empower their communities”, Lynda Toussaint, Chief Executive Officer of Unjani Clinics.
“After hearing about the clinic from my friends and driven by the desire to bring change in the community where I grew up, I applied. This clinic will help more than 8 000 members of the Monsterlus community. It’s a low-income community and it will be of great help. Thank you to Unjani Clinic and Bayer for this amazing opportunity and for the monetary donation towards my studies”, Khosi Magaqa, Unjani Clinic Mosterlus Head Nurse.
With over 80% of South Africa’s population of 60 million relying on the public sector for their healthcare needs, the Unjani Clinics Network continues to empower professional nurses to provide access to quality, affordable primary healthcare, while at the same time equipping them to operate and ultimately own container clinics in low income and rural communities.
To date, over 130 nurses have been trained and empowered through the Unjani Clinic network which consists of 185 facilities nationwide, of which 16 clinics have been sponsored by Bayer South East Africa and have enabled over 74 000 consultations.
Through ongoing collaborations like these, Bayer aims to provide access to much-needed affordable healthcare services that are appropriate for people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
About Unjani Clinics NPC
Unjani Clinics is a network of Black women-owned clinics providing a full range of holistic primary healthcare services at low cost to employed but uninsured patients, conveniently located at their point of need. The Unjani Clinic Network operates under the management of Unjani Clinics NPC’s enterprise development initiative aimed at, empowering black women professional nurses, creating permanent jobs, and perfecting a sustainable clinic model for providing primary healthcare.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of 50.7 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.co.za.
