“Where will we get the doctors and nurses from, if our youth stays in taverns?”
With less than five months before the end of 2013/14 financial year, North West Health MEC Dr Magome Masike trotted four corners of the province in September and October 2013 to listen to communities’ health service delivery concerns. In Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District, Communities from all corners of the District braved the strong windy and rainy day to exercise their democratic right to voice their concerns about healthcare problems.
The aim was to provide them with a platform to raise health issues, concerns and comments that will assist the department to continuously improve its health services to users. These Izimbizo, took place when the department was in the planning phase for health priority projects and deliveries for the 2014/15 financial year.
Genuine service delivery concerns like shortage of doctors and nurses, availability of medication at clinics, and late arrival of ambulances were critical areas that communities across the province felt needed extra attention from the department. One of the major concerns that featured prominently in the District was the response time of ambulances and the Nurses attitude towards patients. Another issue raised was the marginalisation of Mental Health patients.
Neo Selebalo, from Maquassi Hills recommended that the department should consider installing tracking devises in ambulances to monitor movements. Agnes Ramethlwa (74), who is a retired nurse, urged the department to promote nursing in schools as a career. This will in the long run help reduce shortage of nurses, she said.
Amid service delivery concerns, complaints and suggestions, others acknowledged improvements and efforts taken by the department to improve the health profile of the province. The rollout of antiretroviral treatment to HIV positive patients, free Medical Male Circumcision (MMC), acquisition of an emergency helicopter, construction of new facilities, and treatment of tuberculosis (North West is the first to cure Extreme Drug Resistance TB patient in South Africa) were some of areas communities appreciated about the department.
In a shocking turn of events, MEC Masike responded by posing challenging questions to communities which attended the IMBIZO at Kanana Stadium. He said “much as we acknowledge the concerns and complaints raised, it is also our responsibility as the community to play a positive role in advancing service delivery within the North-West Department of Health. He said the department is trying its best to recruit as many young people to study medicine and Nursing as well as other health professions, but only gets a handful. He attributed this state of affairs to the high failure rate in Mathematics and Science as well as Drug and Alcohol abuse which is rife amongst young people.
“We need our youth to study for nursing and medicine. Where will we get the doctors and nurses from, if they stay in taverns?” asked the MEC. He challenged all parents to take a positive leading role in the upbringing of their children saying charity begins at home. He said the department wants to give out bursaries to young people. “Make your children to study mathematics and Science so we can have an adequate pool of human resources needed in our health system”, said the MEC. On the issue of staff attitudes, MEC Masike said Patients must talk nicely to nurses and that Nurses must also treat patients with dignity and respect saying it’s a two way process.
“The department will do everything in its power to heal people but people must also take care of themselves. People must eat healthy food so that they don’t get chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes,” Masike said. He said a new study conducted by the HSRC shows that many non-communicable diseases like Diabetes and Hypertension are actually caused by excessive drinking. “A ke re foketseng ka bojalwa le motsoko. Healthcare is self-care” lamented the MEC.
MEC Masike said there is however, good news coming from the department. “HIV/AIDS rates are becoming stable. We are the first District in the Country and in Africa to cure XDR TB. We have a full complement of District Clinical Specialist Team forming part of the Primary Health Care Re-engineering. We have improved in making drugs available. We are the first in the North-West province to have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit. We are doing our best to make it possible right here at home” exclaimed the MEC.
He said the North-West Department is one of the two in the whole country to receive an unqualified report from the Auditor General. “Four of our hospitals were also found to be the cleanest in the whole country. Since last year we managed to send 110 students to study medicine in Cuba last year and 183 this year. 509 Nurses were produced last year and 545 this year. We want to produce 1000 Nurses per annum”, said the MEC. A disappointing fact he mentioned was that two students from Dr Kenneth Kaunda District have decided to come back from Cuba and stressed their parents will pay for their plane tickets from Cuba.
MEC Masike urged the public to make use of community health centers and public clinics as the first point of entry into the health system to ease the burden on hospitals. The call comes in the midst of overflow of patients visiting hospitals with minor cases that could have been seen and treated at the primary health level. The overflow has an effect on emergency cases, he said.
Masike told communities that his department continues to respond faster to improve the health status of communities through implementation of integrated health programme to provide accessible, equitable and affordable comprehensive primary health care service.
Enquiries:
Nthabiseng Sebake
District Spokesperson
Cell: 0788034299
