EC Health MEC to introduce Mandela- Castro Thuma Mina Community Wellness Programme in the province for Mandela Day activities
Eastern Cape Health MEC Ms Helen Sauls-August will introduce the Mandela-Castro Thuma Mina Community Wellness Programme which will involve regular household calls by South Africa born Cuban trained doctors and Cuban Doctors to various villages across the Province. The Programme will be introduced as part of the Mandela Centenary activities in Mpunzana village under King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality next week on Friday, 13th July 2018.
The wellness programme is based on the Cuban Model medical care derived from the existing Nelson Mandela Fidel Castro Medical Training Programme where South African born students are trained in Cuba then return to the country to implement the Cuban medical care model which promotes preventative medical care than the curative system currently used in South Africa.
The department will welcome 65 returning Medical Students under Nelson Mandela Fidel Castro Medical Programme next week. The returning students will then be grouped with the South African doctors who have been trained in Cuba, Cuban Doctors currently in the country and be taken on an outreach programme on the 09 to the 13th at Nyandeni Sub district where the Cuban trained students and Doctors will show case the Cuban Model of medical care.
This outreach will culminate into the formal launch of The Mandela Castro Thuma Mina Community Wellness Program will then take place at Mpunzana village, KSD sub district, OR Tambo District on the 13 July 2018.
Over 90 Doctors will be conducting household consultations in Mpunzana village to officially introduce the programme to communities. The Programme is dedicated to Mandela Centenary and is in line with NHI principles of ensuring Universal Healthcare for all. People in rural areas struggle to access health facilities due to poor conditions of roads and this at leads to health complications.
The Cuban trained doctors will be conducting household’s consultations and attending to people with chronic diseases in their own homes instead of seeing them at health facilities. This is in line with the Cuban model which prioritizes prevention and early detection of illness instead of the curative system currently being used in South Africa.
The Outreach Programme for 4 days at Nyandeni sub district together with the Wellness day at Mpunzana village seeks to address the community component of the programs that are not performing well. The Cuban Trained Doctors and students will showcase to Cuban model of wellness to their South African counterparts.
This will be in the form of health household’s calls, education, and prevention of diseases, health promotion and management of minor ailments with appropriate referrals. Over a thousand people will be attended by doctors on the day.
Background:
Provincial Health Status and Performance of Health System Report (2018) cites that the province is characterized by a quadruple burden of disease- namely communicable (including TB/ HIV/AIDS), perinatal and maternal, non-communicable and injury-related conditions.
These are the result of the low socio- economic conditions that directly affect the health outcomes and the quality of life (current health status of an individual). The province is characterized by a low socio-economic status, i.e. high poverty headcount (12.7%) especially in Alfred Nzo, Amathole, Chris Hani, Joe Gqabi and OR Tambo districts.
The concern is with the predominantly rural districts with low developmental indicators. These districts tend to have higher poverty rates, higher unemployment rates and there is a low medical aid coverage. The huge population that does not have medical aid depend entirely on government health services
KSD and Nyandeni sub districts are amongst the sub districts that are not performing well in clinical outcomes. Most of the morbidity and mortality is attributed to HIV and AIDS and TB. Together with Hypertension and Hemorrhage, HIV and AIDS and TB are the top 3 major causes of maternal mortality in OR Tambo District as a whole. Loss to follow up and poor Adherence to ART has led to a reduction in the Total number of patients remaining on ART.
The media is invited to attend the wellness day to be held as follows:
Date: 13 July 2018
Venue: Mpunzana clinic
Time: 9h00
Enquiries:
Lwandile Sicwetsha
Cell: 071 671 1770
