EC Health MEC embarks on a community wellness program address long queues at public health facilitie
In an effort to reduce long queues of people seeking medical assistance at public health care facilities in the Province, Eastern Cape Health MEC Helen Sauls-August embarks on a Mandela-Castro Thuma Mina Community wellness programme which takes comprehensive health care services directly to the villages under Joe Gqabi District next week.
Thuma Mina Community Wellness Outreach is based Thuma Mina National Campaign and the call for the communities to lead a healthy lifestyle. It is a campaign strategy to provide healthcare in an integrated manner utilizing the Cuban model to address challenges experienced by communities.
The programme in Joe Gqabi seeks to address high TB defaulter rate, low ante-natal visits in the critical first 20 weeks, infant malnutrition, high teenage pregnancy and substance abuse. The areas to be visited have no accessible health care facilities and will benefit from this week long health outreach. Health services to be rendered include medical services both on site and house calls, breast, cervical cancer screenings, provide primary healthcare services, rehabilitative services, dental services, ophthalmic services, dieticians and youth dialogues focusing on teenage pregnancy.
The health outreach will be rolled out in various villages where there are no health facilities and people travel long distances in order to access health care facilities. The Programme promotes reengineering of the Primary Health Care to prevent life style diseases that result in chronic illnesses. Over a thousand people receive medical attention a day from this programme.
The programme commences on the 1st of November and ends on the 6th of November 2018. MEC will join the programme between the 2nd and 4th of November 2018. She will handover assistive to disabled patients, visit old age home.
Enquiries:
Lwandile Sicwetsha
MEC Spokesperson
Cell: 071 6711770
