It’s the end of an era.
Thousands of babies have been born at the celebrated Genesis Maternity Clinic in Saxonwold over the years, but now they are closing their doors at the end of May.
The management committee, executive committee and board of directors say they have considered several matters before making their decision, one of these being the inability to expand the service to ensure the long-term sustainability of the unit.
The clinic has been a respected and trusted private natural birthing clinic for many years, says Alett Rheeder, the unit manager.
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“We acknowledge that those who have entrusted us to support them in the birth of their babies will be extremely disappointed about the closure. We are in the process of informing those who have pre-booked admissions for after the closure date so that alternative arrangements can be made with their midwifery team,” she says.
Alett says the greater Johannesburg area has no shortage of natural birthing facilities.
“We believe that there are other natural birthing facilities in Johannesburg which offer quality services and facilities for those who were planning to utilize the clinic's services.”
She says, as expected, the closure on the clinic will be a disappointment for the independent professionals they have worked with, the staff as well as parents-to-be.
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“We wish to sincerely thank those parents who chose the Clinic to welcome their little ones into the world, as well as our employees, the midwives, independent midwives, doulas, obstetricians and paediatricians. Their passion and commitment to their clients, colleagues and peers contributed to making it a trusted natural birthing clinic.”
Without getting into details, Life Healthcare Group’s Tanya Lowth says the group is still considering how to use the property going forward.
“HR consultations with affected employees have concluded as part of standard HR processes regarding the closure.
“The clinic has been owned and operated by the Life Healthcare Group since 2015 and is the Group’s only stand-alone midwife-led natural birthing clinic. The group is considering utilizing the property for other private healthcare services it provides,” she says.
