Durban - This week’s unsung hero is retired doctor Ian Macleod. At 90, Macleod is still fit and happy to serve the community of Umbilo and surrounding areas through medicine.
He is among the founders of the Kathleen Voysey Clinic, at the Umbilo Methodist Church, Berea.
The clinic was founded in 1998 to provide free medical care to the homeless and the aged who could not afford it. “The idea of a clinic was conceptualised by a church congregant, David Cole, a pre-school principal and Peter Butterworth, the minister of the church. Dr Asherson, Chris Gibson, three nursing sisters and I were the ones who first began volunteering our services,” said Macleod.
He said the initial plan was for the clinic to be set up in Cato Manor, which would mainly serve the people in Cato Crest, an informal settlement a few kilometres west of central Durban. “We still have quite a few people coming from that area, but it has changed through the years, and we are seeing more people from Umbilo and Berea,” said Macleod.
The doctor, while still in private practice as a specialist physician with Davidson and Partners, based at St Augustine’s Hospital, would dedicate Thursday mornings to seeing patients before going into surgery.
Macleod retired in 2002 and now spends his Thursdays attending to the ill and frail at the clinic. “It honestly doesn’t seem like I’m going out of my way when I’m helping people here because it’s second nature to me, and I do it because I enjoy it,” said Macleod. The doctor said they saw between 50 to 100 patients at the clinic, and they made sure they attended to every person.
However, the clinic had its challenges, and Mcleod said needed more assistance. He said doctors, nursing sisters and pharmacists were encouraged to volunteer their time. Gregory Whitehead, the manager of the clinic, said maintaining the clinic was, at times, a challenge because they did not receive any assistance from the government.
“We rely on donations from organisations and people. We got hit during the pandemic in terms of our donors. Our primary need is for additional funding to be able to continue to offer free services to the homeless people and the elderly. We also give patients soap, and we medically treat everybody, no matter where they come from,” said Whitehead.
Ward 33 councillor in the Umbilo area, Sakhile Mngadi, praised the work of the volunteers at the clinic, saying such initiatives were always welcomed and heart-warming. “We already know there are challenges within government clinics, so when there are people who can provide medical care for free, that is good for the community.
Medical care is a basic human right, and some homeless people are sometimes turned away at clinics. But we are fortunate to have such places like this clinic where they can also be served,” said Mngadi.
Mngadi said that his office was always open to assist in such initiatives, “especially for people who go far and beyond for others,” said Mngadi. The clinic operates once a week, every Thursday at the Umbilo Methodist Church on 55 Bartle Road, from 8.30am to 10.30am.
Shine a light on our unsung heroes
They walk among us – the selfless individuals of all races who go out of their way to make a difference in the lives of others. They raise people up, help improve their lot in life and give them hope and a belief in the future. And they do so with little or no recognition – they never ask for it, driven instead to help others without fuss or fanfare. Ordinary folk who do the extraordinary, who make you proud to be a South African.
If you know of such an Unsung Hero, email their name and surname and two contact numbers to [email protected] with ‘Unsung Hero’ in the subject line so that we can share their amazing stories and give others hope
SUNDAY TRIBUNE