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Mediclinic Southern Africa’s long-standing partnership with Unjani Clinics
Continues to demonstrate the power of meaningful collaboration in expanding access to affordable, quality primary healthcare. Through this partnership, Mediclinic supports 23 clinics within the Unjani Clinic network – a national initiative of 256 care settings – bringing accessible healthcare to underserved communities across the country.
Since inception, Unjani Clinics have provided over 6.3 million consultations to South Africans in need. Of these, nearly 250 000 consultations have taken place at the Mediclinic-supported facilities, affirming the tangible impact of this partnership on the country’s healthcare landscape, particularly in outlying communities.
"At Mediclinic, we believe accessible healthcare is not just a business goal, it’s an imperative," says Gale Shabangu, Chief Public Affairs Officer at Mediclinic Southern Africa. "Our partnership with Unjani Clinics reflects our commitment to reaching those communities that need it most, by empowering healthcare entrepreneurs and strengthening the delivery and accessibility of primary care."
Empowering black women, strengthening communities
Unjani Clinics operate under an innovative social franchising model, placing ownership in the hands of professional black women nurses – referred to as “nurse-preneurs.” These women run independent clinics that are embedded in their own communities, ensuring culturally attuned and relevant healthcare support at the point of need.
Across the clinics supported by Mediclinic, more than 60 permanent jobs have been created, with nurses delivering vital services to both rural and urban populations. The affordability and convenience of these clinics are key to drawing patients away from overburdened public healthcare facilities, creating capacity for supporting the more acute patients seeking care.
A scalable, sustainable healthcare model
Mediclinic’s approach to supporting Unjani Clinics goes beyond traditional grant-making. Through a blended grant-loan funding model, the group provides startup capital that enables nurses to establish fully equipped, branded clinics and the nurses repay the loan portion interest-free over a five-year period. This encourages long-term sustainability.
To date, Mediclinic’s partnership has helped launch 19 Unjani Clinics and 4 mobile Health Pods across the country. From Alexandra and Sebokeng in Gauteng to Komani in the Eastern Cape and Kraaifontein in the Western Cape, these facilities offer a lifeline to communities that often face limited access to healthcare.
The Unjani Clinics partnership forms part of Mediclinic’s broader enterprise and supplier development programme, which contributed to the organisation recently attaining a Level 2 B-BBEE rating.
“Our remarkable journey from Level 8 to Level 2 in just seven years reflects a focus that goes far beyond simple compliance,” notes Shabangu. “This achievement reflects Mediclinic’s strategic and values-driven commitment to building a more inclusive and empowered healthcare sector.”
With more than 5.3 million people residing within the reach of the current 23 Mediclinic-supported clinics and Health Pods – and with more clinics planned – the future holds promise for even broader impact.
“Our goal is to work alongside partners like Unjani Clinics to move healthcare forward, one community at a time,” concludes Shabangu. “The real success of this model lies in the lives touched, the jobs created, and the dignity restored to healthcare access in South Africa.”