In an effort to provide maternal and primary healthcare services, bring skills and open up job opportunities in underprivileged communities, US global pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) has committed to invest R12.2m to black women NGO professional nurse clinic network, Unjani Clinics which is situated in Alexandra.
CEO of Unjani Clinics, Lynda Toussaint said that the investment would also help build new clinics across SA. She added that the clinic network provides professional nurses with infrastructure, training and mentoring, and capital for the first two years, while they employ other nurses in their clinic containers.
Unjani Clinics is a nonprofit organisation which aims to build a successful network of nurse-owned and operated clinics. It is an enterprise development initiative aimed at empowering black women professional nurses to provide healthcare services to underprivileged communities.
MSD Director of Policy and Communications, Neren Rau said this corporate social investment (CSI) Initiative was aimed at assisting poor communities. “This is to help Unjani Clinics to be able to operate and get close to their patients in poor communities at a reasonable cost and help establish and entrench the Unjani model,” said Rau.
The healthcare company chose Unjani Clinics because of its efficient computer-based systems and the black women empowerment aspect of the network. In the first phase, MSD will provide a R11.7m grant to Unjani Clinics via its MSD for mothers initiative.
“The grant aims to validate an innovative financial model designed to potentially unlock a further investment of more than R77.7m from the United States Development Finance Corporation, which is an anchor partner in the MOMs [Maternal Outcomes Matter] initiative – a consortium of partners mobilising finance for investable enterprises delivering an impact in maternal health,” concluded Rau.
