A new health and wellness clinic aimed at residents suffering from chronic lifestyle diseases, such as high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure will be opening its doors to residents in Lavender Hill on Sunday 27 March.
The clinic, which will run every fortnight at the Faith Community Church is the brainchild of Zoe Life Foundation founder Brandon Geldenhuys who grew up in Lavender Hill.
He explained: “The vision of the Zoe Life Foundation started many years ago. I was born and raised here and back then I was active in the church, finishing my schooling in 2003,” he said. “I started working at Pick ’n Pay as a packer and in that period there was a prophecy from one of the prophets of the church. He said God was calling me to heal his people. I couldn’t understand it because my reality was R300 a week packing groceries into people’s bags at Rondebosch Pick ’n Pay.”
Geldenhuys said he went on to study pharmacy and later worked as an intern at the Retreat Day Hospital.
“I qualified as a pharmacist and did my in-service training, then got my registration in 2011. So part of the process was that one needed to dedicate one year of service to the government, which I did in 2011 and was based in the Southern and Western substructure, and there I also worked at the Retreat Day Hospital.
“So I was servicing sometimes friends, parents of my friends and people I saw in the community I grew up in.”
He said it was at this time that he noticed the pharmaceutical-care aspect was missing.
“You have a separate unit, the CDU [Chronic Dispensing Unit], which is where all the people who have chronic lifestyle diseases come on a monthly basis to collect their repeat prescription.”
Chronic lifestyle diseases include diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and illnesses that originate from poor lifestyle or poor diet choices.
“The big gap I noticed was that as part of one’s responsibility as pharmacist one needs to ensure pharmaceutical care. The pharmaceutical care aspect was missing at the day hospital, justifiably so because pharmacy is a scarce skill.
“As a result of the skills shortage, combined with the high demand and congestion at the day hospital one would find that when these patients come to collect their chronic packets they don’t get that opportunity of engagement to advise them accordingly.”
Geldenhuys said the experience bothered him and played on his mind.
“It took many years to get to where we are now.
“We are inviting anyone that has a chronic lifestyle disease, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, a problem with their blood pressure or hyper tension, and they are receiving chronic medication from the day hospital and are confused and don’t know how to use it, to come along on the 27th.”
Commenting on the possible closure of the Lavender Hill clinic, Geldenhuys said he and others will ensure there is a clinic in Lavender Hill. “Whether the government wants to close the clinic or not, we will make sure that we open it.
“We have the training and the know-how. This is an essential service, and it cannot be taken away from anyone, it is a human right. People must have health care.”
Geldenhuys added the intention is to have the clinic open permanently in the community.
“The intention is to have this permanently in the community, either every second Saturday or Sunday.
“Only those who have chronic lifestyle diseases, irrespective of age, are welcome. Bring your prescription, you don’t have to worry about money or anything, you will access free of charge. It will start at 9am. We will not turn anyone away.”
Leclue Arendse, a director at the Zoe Life Foundation, who met Geldenhuys through church Global Family ministries, says “Brandon is a guitarist and I myself am also into music. I play bass guitar, so we have that in common. We also have a lot in common coming from the same kind of communities and sharing the same kind of experiences.”
Working as a lab analyst at a pharmaceutical company, he says the aim is to help others.
“The aim is to help people. He told me about the prophecy on his life and that he wanted to start this foundation. Obviously, I was going to support him because I know everything that he tackles is naturally a success because of the passion we share for people and how we want to impact people’s lives in a positive way.”
