Team PATA

Paarl Clinic's Emporium of Care, South Africa

The Paarl Clinic, based at the TC Newman Hospital in Paarl near Cape Town opened their brand new Emporium of Care in December 2007.

After urgently needing to expand their ARV clinic, the hospital allowed them to take over their boiler room, which had been standing empty for ten years. This area has been now been transformed into a home for patient-related projects. These projects will include income generating projects like Paarl Kidz Beatz and training workshops for patients as well as workshops for children and schools.

They have divided the boiler room into six separate offices, with a central waiting and reception area. One office is used for data capturing and processing while another is a counselling room.

PATA spoke to Dr Nelis Grobbelaar from the Paarl clinic:

PATA: Tell us a bit about how the idea for the Emporium of Care was hatched.

Nelis Grobbelaar: Here in Paarl, we only started a focused HIV programme in 2003. That was in the days before ARVs and we supported, care for and helped patients to beat their fear of dying. In 2004 we became one of the first rural units to administer ARVs. Since then our operation has grown enormously and today we give ARVs to 2500 people and we have opened six more clinics in the region. We don't know where it will end, the stream of patients is endless. Traditionally, the doctor only focused on the body and the 'invaders' attacking the body. Usually that is enough, but not with HIV. HIV fooled us. Our pills and traditional medical science is not enough. The Emporium was born from this. We needed new solutions.

PATA: What needs will the Emporium fulfil? NG: The ARV clinic must focus on the supply of ARVs and the medical care to the patients. The Emporium is part of the medical service as it gives patients access to other services which will help them in their fight against HIV. Job creation, life skills and spiritual care are some of the services which the Emporium will provide. It will be a 'trading store' where people kan bring their plans for care, as 'products' to the marketplace of patients.

PATA: Tell us about how you transformed the boiler room. NG: It stood empty for a decade, mice and owls settled in and it was used as a storeroom. Several donors are now helping us to transform the building. We have erected seven wendy houses to serve as offices for the different projects and in the central area there is a coffee shop for patients.

PATA wishes Nelis and his team good luck with their attempts to entice the resident barn owls to relocate out of the new Emporium of Care and we look forward to the publishing of the children's story written about the barn owls in the clinic. Rachel, a PATA expert patient started work in the centre in September and we wish her and the rest of the Paarl team every success with this ambitious project.