More than 250 vulnerable residents accessed free healthcare services when the third Holistic Integrated Health and Wellness Clinic was hosted at the Phoenix Community Centre on Sunday, July 5, marking the initiative’s largest turnout since its inception.

The clinic, a collaborative initiative between the Phoenix Community Centre (PCC), Umhlanga Business Network (UBN), and Phoenix Wellness Clinic, was established to provide free preventative healthcare to residents, who may otherwise struggle to access essential medical services.

The first clinic was launched in November last year by the Phoenix Community Centre and has continued to expand through partnerships with the Umhlanga Business Network and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) School of Health Sciences.

According to information provided by Phoenix Child Welfare and UBN, residents had access to a wide range of integrated healthcare services, including doctor and psychologist consultations, prescribed medication, pharmacy services, dental examinations, eye testing and the provision of spectacles, blood pressure and blood sugar testing, cancer screening, physiotherapy, autism awareness, yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic and homeopathic consultations, as well as shoulder and neck massages and nail painting by volunteer teams.

Participating organisations included Whetstone Pharmacy, FOSA, the Autism Awareness Campaign, IMILO Community Health and Wellness Services, Lab24, ForaCare Africa, Belladona Health Centre, TurboVite, AyturMedicare, the International Association for Human Values, Art of Living, the Phoenix Wellness Clinic, the North Durban Practitioners Guild, CHOC, the UKZN School of Health Sciences, the Jayshree Angelic Reiki Association, the Woodview Cancer Support Group and a child welfare women’s group.

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Sham Maharaj, co-ordinator of the wellness clinic, described Sunday’s event as the best turnout since the clinic was launched and encouraged residents to continue making use of the free healthcare services available to the community.

Organisers highlighted the impact of previous clinics, noting that two patients were diagnosed with cancer during routine screenings at an earlier event, enabling them to receive potentially life-saving treatment at an early stage.

Addressing participating healthcare professionals, Dr Suren Lutchminarayan, president of the Umhlanga Business Network, said the clinic was only the beginning of a broader vision to expand the initiative.

He encouraged more organisations to work together in bringing accessible healthcare to vulnerable communities, with plans already under discussion to introduce additional healthcare disciplines and extend the programme beyond Phoenix.

The organisers expressed their gratitude to the sponsors, donors, healthcare professionals and volunteers whose financial contributions, expertise and time made the initiative possible, saying their collective support continues to bring hope, dignity and accessible healthcare to those who need it most.

“None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors and donors, whose contributions in cash and in kind helped make the clinic a reality,” they said.