It's my way of giving back

THE door of a small doctor's practice on the border of Mowbray and Rondebosch in Cape Town's southern suburbs swings open just after 9am.

- BY MEGHAN LAWRENCE

A queue of people has already formed outside, drawn by a sign that says Open Clinic – the day, once a month, when the doctor opens her consulting rooms free of charge to anyone, no questions asked.

Hannah Abrahams-Crocker sees each patient for 20 minutes, giving them equal privacy, care and attention.

This is their day and she wants them to leave feeling seen and heard.

"Many people slip through the cracks," Hannah says, hanging up her stethoscope.

"Not everyone has medical aid but we all deserve care. I can't solve everything but I can listen, examine and point them in the right direction."

Hannah's Open Clinic was born on Mandela Day in July, when she opened her doors to patients in need and was so inundated with people she decided to make it a once-a-month offering.

Her 20-minute time slots offer strict confidentiality and focus on a variety of issues, from blood pressure to diabetes, women's health to skin problems, sore knees and long-postponed checkups.

"My goal is to keep things simple – examination, advice and, if needed, referral with a plan. We keep the slots simple. A person shouldn't have to trip up on paperwork before getting help."

Hannah is 28 and at the beginning of her career as a doctor, but she's seen the need and she's determined to do something about it.

For the rest of the month she holds regular consultations at her practice and also works as a sports doctor at the University of the Western Cape and at schools, treating kids with concussions, shoulder issues and knee injuries.

But it's treating patients who often slip through the cracks that's driven her to open her free clinic - and it's an initiative that has its roots in a rural hospital hundreds of kilometres away, where Hannah's eyes were truly opened to the desperation so rife in the crumbling public health system.