Nurse Olivia Pharo used her pension fund to open a primary healthcare facility in the small town of Atlantis, just outside Cape Town.
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After 33 years as a nurse and four years since the opening of the facility, Sister Pharo says the job remains fulfilling, and her clinic has become a haven for the community.
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Speaking to IOL, Pharo reflects on 33 years in an industry that requires humility, passion and bravery.
Pharo is determined to provide quality healthcare to all at an affordable price that fits all budgets, especially in light of the current economic crisis.
“Thirty-three years ago, I started my nursing career at Tygerberg Hospital. Never did I know just how this beautiful career would shape me to become a better version of myself,” Pharo told IOL.
In 1994, Pharo completed her diplomas in general, community, psychiatric and midwifery.
“That was also the first year of our democracy. Posts were frozen, and we had to apply at private institutions for employment. I started my career as a professional nurse on July 1, 1994, at Panorama Hospital.”
Working there soon brought the realisation that a position there was not for her. Travelling at the time was awful, and she realised that her work had become a job and not a calling.
In February 1995, she went back to her roots and started as a nurse in the trauma unit at Tygerberg Hospital.
Soon after starting at Tygerberg, she took a position at Wesfleur Hospital in Atlantis, where she was classified as an all-rounder working in maternity, trauma and general wards.
In 1999, she continued her studies and earned a certificate in primary health care. A year later, she earned a diploma in nursing management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT); and in 2009, she earned a diploma in primary health care (PHC) at the University of Stellenbosch (SU).
“I realised that teaching and PHC were two areas I excelled in and for 14 years I mentored the PHC sisters and trained home-based carers. This was so fulfilling due to the fact that I could see the growth in students and their eagerness in them to uphold the ethical beliefs and principles of our profession,” she said.
She worked as a nursing manager at Wesfleur Hospital for 18 years but felt stuck because there was no sign of potential growth, and she knew it was time to move on.
Her last day at Wesfleur Hospital and the Department of Health was 30 September 2018.
“On March 1, 2019, I opened the doors of Sister Pharo’s PHC facility. I took my pension fund money and opened this clinic because I could see the need of our community and the struggle of our hospital to meet the needs of our community.”
Existing under the maxim “humanity comes first,” Sister Pharo’s Clinic is used by residents of Atlantis and the nearby communities of Mamre, Darling and Malmesbury.
Pharo stated that as the most cost-effective healthcare provider in Atlantis, her door will remain open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Pharo has a family of her own, but she hasn’t accepted a salary in two years.
In order to educate and raise awareness in her community, she frequently posts material on social media or hosts radio shows on local radio stations concerning illnesses.
Pharo adopted five senior members of the neighbourhood last year, and for the duration of the year, she took care of their medical needs for ongoing ailments.
She will adopt five more senior citizens this year, caring for their acute diseases all year long.
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Picture: Sister Pharo’s Primary Health Care / Facebook
