The first 24-hour clinic in the Greater Ivory Park area was inaugurated on February20 this year. The clinic  will adequately service healthcare needs and provide access to healthcare interventions for thousands of Ivory Park residents. Gauteng Department of Health MEC Dr. Bandile Masuku remarked “It is our belief and hope that the running of this clinic will, in a number of ways uplift the quality of life for the people in this area, and that it will improve the quality of access to care for this and surrounding communities.”

In 2018, the Anova Health Institute Accelerating Program Achievements to Control the Epidemic (ANOVA/APACE) supported the building of Ebony park clinic following a request from the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health. The purpose was to assist the Department of Health to convert the clinic into a 24-hour facility with Accident & Emergency services. The support included renovations and security upgrades of the maternity section of the clinic amounting to about R70,000. This contribution is on the background of many similar interventions from the program. Since inception, ANOVA\APACE funded by  the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has invested about R2.7 million and conducted 36 healthcare facility renovations in 2 provinces (Gauteng and Limpopo) of South Africa. 

Improved and accessible health facilities translate into better healthcare for communities and will also ensure that people living with HIV can live longer and strong. In addition, investments in improving the health system ultimately contribute towards PEPFAR’s aim of  supporting South Africa’s National Strategic Plan for HIV and TB and the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals to end AIDS. The Ebony Park Community Health Centre currently provides comprehensive preventative and curative health services including HIV, and TB related treatment, care and support services. Going forward, ANOVA\APACE plans to invest about R11.3 million on facility renovations in the coming months. 

With support from (PEPFAR), through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the ANOVA\APACE activity aims to control the HIV epidemic in Gauteng, Limpopo, and Western Cape. One of the program’s objectives is to strengthen Provincial Health Systems in support of the HIV and TB continuum of care. 

The Anova Health Institute has received a five-year PEPFAR grant through USAID’s APACE activity (Accelerating Program Achievements to Control The Epidemic). ANOVA/APACE is aligned with PEPFAR’s aim to support South Africa’s National Strategic Plan for HIV and TB and the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals to end AIDS. The ANOVA\APACE Program aims to accelerate and sustain epidemic control in the target districts through a data-driven, people-centred and evidence- informed approach.

Article submitted by ANOVA for USAID Southern Africa