​Matabo Letsoalo

The opening of the Carletonville Hospital One Stop Centre has brought a sigh of relief to ex-mine workers who used to travel from Merafong to Johannesburg in order to get their benefit Medical Examination for compensation done.
 
Bringing services closer to the people is exactly what the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases (MBOD) did by extending their services to Carletonville Hospital. Since its inception in April 2014, the centre has provided Benefit Medical Examinations, HIV Counselling and Testing, TB Screening to over eleven thousand ex miners including referrals for medical care and social support. 

The two Occupational Health Care Nurses and a Primary Health Care Nurse who work at the centre open files for the clients and send them to MBOD which ultimately advise them on the status of their application. This is where it is determined if the applicant (s) qualifies for compensation or not. 
With a lot of retrenchments which happened in the mining industry in recent years, the centre has seen an increase in the number of people who visit the centre weekly with some traveling as far as the Eastern Cape, KZN, North West, Lesotho, Botswana and other areas.
 
Some of the ex-miners who spoke to our team of reporters could not hide their excitement about the availability of the One Stop Centre in their vicinity. They spoke about how they used to spend their last money on transport going to Braamfontein where they would wait for long hours and often return home with no assistance due to long queues.
 
The Carletonville One Stop Service is available Monday to Friday from 07H30 to 16H00, the frustration of the ex-mine workers in Magale City District area is a thing of the past, service is offered in their doorstep. 

When visiting the centre, clients are requested to bring the following documents: Service Record which they can get from TEBA Bank or the Human Resource (HR) office of the mine they worked for. Additional documents required are Medical Exit Certificate, ID Copy or Passport, two Residential Addresses (if available), Two Contact Numbers, provide name of the mine they worked for as well Clocking Card.