Maya Scrubs Gets Creative With Healthcare Wear

For most people, the hospital is a scary place. A beeping, prodding, unpleasant space where we are poked, injected and given unsettling news about our wayward bodies.

To take the edge off all the gloom and doom, Marcia van Zyl imagined Maya Scrubs. A small manufacturing company making cheerful medical wear as an alternative to the straight-laced and serious scrubs typical of most medical institutions.

“Scrubs are the daily wear of nurses, doctors, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, veterinarians and more,” says Van Zyl who is a medical intern at Katutura Intermediate Hospital and owns the business alongside her business partner and mother Tersia Venter.

“The idea came about to create scrubs that look happy. Maya aims to colour in the work life of our local healthcare professionals.”

Currently a year old and named for their beautiful Labrador, Maya Scrubs’ sunny travel, floral and patterned designs made of poplin stretch, polycotton, cotton sateen and Shweshwe are handmade by local designer Honeycassie Designs, and worn by medical staff all over the country, including professionals working at the Robert Mugabe Clinic and the Covid-19 testing centre.

“Boring is forbidden. During long hours of tough schedules in off-white environments, you don’t often get the chance to add a little colour to your day. We are happy when your scrubs look happy,” says Van Zyl, who remarks that their biggest challenge is buying suitable materials.

While most of the fabric is imported from South Africa, Van Zyl tries to keep the brand as proudly Namibian as possible.

“I really believe we should do more manufacturing ourselves and rid our country from the culture of importation,” she says. “Yes, you can always get it cheaper elsewhere, but, if you take the simple value chain into account, we as a collective pay the price for cheap imports with zero value adding in Namibia. Local value adding in any form, even when more expensive, should be our absolute priority across all segments of the economy.”

Offering eco-friendly packaging and able to courier all over Namibia, Maya Scrubs is proud to present Van Zyl’s current favourite.

“The Nam Travel is my favourite scrub,” says Van Zyl of the scrubs adorned with maps, tickets stubs and giraffes. “The environment we work in is very serious and if you can be proud of your wardrobe, be happy and make the people around you happy, then it is worth the effort.”

While the country is locked down against the coronavirus, the Nam Travel scrubs may be particularly uplifting as a reminder of our beautiful natural heritage and a promise of better days to come.

For now, however, Van Zyl advises caution and compliance.

“Please stay home! The full extent of the virus is devastating and not yet fully known. Avoid unnecessary visits to hospitals and follow the health guidelines.”

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.