There is help for when you are feeling ill
The North-West University Potchefstroom Campus (NWU) understands that students come from different backgrounds and that not all students have medical aids or can afford health care offered by pharmacies.
The campus Health Care Centre provides all students and staff members with health care services if they are feeling ill while on campus. “The Health Care Centre offers all students health care services, the admin fee is R50 and the centre opens at 08:30 and closes at 16:00,” Mittah Mokgothu, the centre’s administrative assistant, said.
The Health Care Centre is in building E16. The admin fee is payable at F1 or if money is available on their student cards, students can swipe their cards at the clinic. An admin fee of R50.00 is payable for each visit at the Health Care Centre. NSFAS students are exempted of the admin fee and receive the service for free.
Students find the Health Care Centre very helpful because it is affordable and there’s free services which includes contraceptive treatment, chronic treatment, STI treatment and Ante-natal Care.
“The clinic is helpful because I don’t have medical aid and I cannot afford Medi-Clinic services,” a senior teaching student (22) said.
The healthcare services offered to students in the Health Care Centre include minor ailments (like colds and the flu), chronic illness (like high blood pressure), family planning and antenatal care, referral for Choice on Termination of Pregnancy and medical male circumcision, injuries and vaccination against meningitis, measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis.
The Health Care Centre is open during working hours.
“Students who do not have the required admin fee and who use bursaries or student loans do not have to hesitate going to the Health Care Centre, patients are required to make payments at the cashiers at F1 or bring proof of NSFAS registration for the year. If a patient is too sick or don’t have money at the time of consultation they can make arrangements to bring the proof of payment / proof of NSFAS registration at a later stage,” Mokgothu said.
“The campus staff members are also welcomed to the clinic. I went to the clinic for emergency and I only had to pay for R50 for consultation, the services were helpful and the consultation went well,”Thato Tlhanyane (30), a temporary IT assistance, said.
One student can attest to the care he received. “I was injured in a soccer practice on campus. I was rushed to the Health Care Centre in E16 and received medical care immediately. After I was assisted I did not have any money on me to pay the administration fee and since I am using NSFAS they toldme to come back with my proof of NSFAS registration. If it wasn’t for the Health Care Centre, I would’ve waited for an ambulance which usually takes a lot of time to arrive,” Thabo Mboweni (24), a senior political science student, said.