Topshell: Owethu Container Clinics in South Africa

Bringing professional health care to rural communities

South Africa’s first fully-serviced modular medical clinic has been operating successfully at the Villiera wine farm in Stellenbosch for some years and is a model that can be replicated elsewhere on the continent. Say hello to Topshell and Owethu!

This clinic is providing much-needed support to the local farming community, with accessible and affordable primary healthcare. The concept is the brainchild of adventurer and chef David Grier, who is the managing trustee of The Cipla Foundation. The clinic was in development for four years before it was rolled out in 2014. The Cipla Foundation is the social enterprise division of leading pharmaceutical company Cipla Medpro.

 “Owethu, meaning ‘ours’, allows us to address ‘our health, our life’, and is dedicated to assisting and improving the delivery and access of primary healthcare in communities, and by doing so, lessening the burden on South Africa’s public healthcare system.

“The clinic is made of modular pods and can be deployed anywhere. This is a breakthrough in the development of sustainable healthcare solutions to communities in need, especially as its scale and state-of-the-art facilities have been developed with community healthcare in mind. The clinic has been developed in a manner allowing the pods to be re-deployed within a community should this be needed.”

Concept summary

Owethu is a rural primary healthcare clinic deployed in rural communities. These mobile structures provide state of the art facilities and equipment funded by the Cipla Foundation. A range of healthcare services are provided in partnership with NGO’s to serve poor communities at a low cost.

Program goals

Owethu Clinics are situated in rural communities, each clinic provides primary care services that would otherwise be out of reach for patients situated in remote areas such as farms and travelling to healthcare facilities adds the burden of extra costs for them. These facilities have the capacity to serve over 3000 patients with a range of services that are preventative and treat certain illnesses. The CIPLA foundation model is multifaceted not only offering health services in one area but partners with communities and NGO’s to bring services to the people who need them most. These facilities are located in farms and Owethu has partnered with farm owners to contribute through partial funding of membership for farmworkers. 

Topshell Key program components

Services on offer

The clinics are separated into different modular pods with medical equipment and surgical instruments needed. Each of the pods is designed to provide a specific range of services. Each clinic runs on a Primary healthcare management system and according to strict medical protocols. The system also builds and maintains medical records for each patient treatment as well as runs a preventative wellness program for each patient.

Infrastructure 

POD 1: Medical

CNP Nurse room
Dental surgery
Doctors surgery
Consulting room
Medicine room/Pharmacy
Fully air-conditioned

POD 2: Sickbay – day facility children

Ablution, shower laundry
Gents Toilet/Shower
Ladies Toilet/shower
Counselling Room
Laundry
Children’s day sickbay
Fully air-conditioned

POD 3: IT/Health education

Lecture room
8 IT computer points
Open Plan lecture room
Large screen TV
Library
Fully air-conditioned

POD 4 & 5: Oncology unit Oncology Pharmacy mixing unit

4 Treatment chairs
Laminar flow Chemo mixing unit
Toilets
Slush room
Refrigerated drug storage
Fully air-conditioned

All Pods are fully furnished with medical equipment and all surgical instruments needed. Emergency resuscitation equipment is supplied in the medical and Oncology units as well as oxygen cylinders also being provided.

The whole clinic runs on a Primary healthcare management system and according to strict medical protocols. The system also builds and maintains medical records for each patient treatment as well as runs a preventative wellness program for each patient.

Additional Services

In addition to primary care, Owethu clinics are designed to offer the following services: 

• HIV testing and counselling Drug testing
• Smoking advice
• Sexual health information Healthy eating and nutrition advice
• Female contraceptives and family planning advice and counselling Immunisation programme for babies and children
• Male contraceptives Basic illness medication
• Ante-natal advice and support Health and Safety at work advice
• Post-natal advice and support, breastfeeding, stimulation of babies, development of babies Prevention of accidents in the home / road safety advice
• TB information and testing De-worming for children and adults
• Substance Abuse counselling Dental care
• Sight and hearing screening First Aid Training
• Oncology screening Multivitamin distribution
• Training facility, library and IT stations Asthma testing
• Mental health

For further information on the Owetho model and mobile clinics, please contact the Cipla Foundation:

Cipla Foundation SA

Parc du Cap Office Park, Building 9, Mispel Street, Bellville, 7530, SOUTH AFRICA

TEL: +27 21 943 4200

MAIL: info@ciplafoundationsa.co.za

Manufacturer – Topshell

The Owethu Container Clinic is manufactured by Topshell located just outside Stellenbosch, South Africa. The Topshell team is passionate about giving customers exactly what they need and helping them to live their dreams. Our experienced technicians interact with customers throughout the product specification, construction and conversion processes to create a tailor-made product that surpasses our customers’ expectations. Aided by an in-house CAD design system, as well as prototype manufacturing and testing capabilities, the specialist Topshell team prides itself on their in-house production and project management capabilities.

Quality products and innovative craftsmanship… rare attributes indeed these days, but this is the bottom line at Topshell.

For further details, please contact Deon van der Merwe of Topshell Life on:

TEL: +27 (0) 21 881 3666

MOBILE: +27 (0) 83 288 4734

MAIL: deon@topshell.co.za

WEBSITE: Click HERE for their website

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