Cutting the ribbon to open the new Hanover Park Student Learning Centre (from left): Mrs Ndamase, Facility Manager of the Hanover Park Community Health Centre (CHC), Professor Marian Jacobs, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Mrs Elizabeth Bantam, Chairperson of the Hanover Park Community Health Forum.

Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Marian Jacobs, set the tone for the opening event when she insisted that each person present should give their name and where they were from before the speeches could continue. This formality dealt with, she explained that in the past, students used to complete their training in big hospitals, with very little time being spent in the clinics and day hospitals.

With the Department of Health's change to a strategy of decentralization, this model was no longer appropriate and it was recognized that health sciences students needed to be "fit for purpose" and learn in all settings, in order to meet the healthcare needs of the all of the people of South Africa.

She congratulated the team that had made the development of the Hanover Park Student Learning Centre a reality and described it as a fantastic partnership between the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town and the Department of Health, and specifically the staff at the Hanover Park Community Health Centre. She added that one of the upcoming projects planned for the facility is a research project , involving a team from the Perinatal Mental Health Project, who will be working with the staff in the Midwife Obstetrics Unit to identify issues, with the ultimate goal of improving conditions for both patients and staff.

Mrs Elizabeth Bantam, the Chairperson of the Hanover Park Community Health Forum, introduced herself as "the health lady", explaining that she has been involved in the health forum and other community structures in the area for many years. She added her congratulations to both the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Hanover Park CHC for the Student Learning Centre, adding that there were times when she was not sure that the project would come to fruition, but the fact that they were all gathered there was a testament to the perseverance of the implementation team.

She added a message to the students who will be making use of the centre: "You need to be dedicated to your work. Wherever you may go, you must do your work with dedication and love."

The new facility will be used by students who will be interviewing, examining and treating patients under the supervision of Senior Family Physician, Dr Tsepo Motsohi, and other colleagues from the Division of Family Medicine. Frank Molteno, the Health Teaching Platform Co-ordinator of the Primary Health Care Directorate, explained that prior to the erection of the SLC there was simply no space for this to happen. It also allows for one-on-one and small-group teaching, on-site internet access for students and clinicians and much-needed additional clinical consulting space for the CHC when students are not on-site.