OUTREACH TO MSHOLOZI

Every Thursday, a large team of staff and volunteers conducts a mobile primary health care outreach to Msholozi, an informal settlement on the outskirts of White River. The clinic also serves residents from three neighbouring townships, making it an important source of healthcare for a rapidly growing cluster of underserved communities.

As these settlements have developed relatively recently, access to public health services remains limited. Most residents must travel to government clinics in White River to receive primary health care, placing an additional financial burden on families already experiencing high levels of unemployment and poverty.

While many South Africans live in these communities, a significant proportion of residents are migrants from neighbouring countries. For many households, the cost of taxi transport is a major barrier to accessing healthcare. In addition, foreign nationals frequently face discrimination and hostility when seeking care at public health facilities. These challenges often delay treatment, resulting in people presenting with more advanced illness than if they had been able to access care earlier.

Through its weekly mobile clinic, ASM Clinic helps bridge these gaps by providing compassionate, accessible primary health care to some of the most vulnerable members of the community.