Employees of the North West Department of Health will celebrate Nelson Mandela day on 18 July 2013, with various activities in hospitals, clinics and old age home to mark world renowned unifier’s 95 birthday.
The Health Promotion and Oral Heal Team will dedicate their 67 minutes of goodwill to elderly people at Lapa La Bohle, old age home in Lonely Park near Mafikeng while administrative staff will read for kids, clean, paint and help feed patients at various hospitals across the province.
MEC Dr Magome Masike will join teams at Witrandjie and Phalane clinics near Mogwase within the Moses Kotane Municipality. At Witrandjie Clinic the team will replace doors, windows, paint entire clinic both in and outside including ceiling, patch cracks in the waiting area and consulting rooms, and replace bulbs and porch ceiling. The team at Phalane Clinic will paint the entire clinic including the roof.
The resolve to channel energy at Witrandjie clinic this Mandela Day follows MEC Masike’s visit to various clinics in the province to assess the conditions in which people receive healthcare and conditions in which nurses work on. Masike was not impressed by conditions on some of clinics visited and demanded that they be attended immediately. To date various clinics received a facelift while others are being constructed as they are beyond the state of refurbishing.
“We want our nurses to be productive and the best way of getting them to be productive is to improve their working conditions. Our facilities must reflect a healthy environment and they must be seen from outside as places of healing,” MEC Masike said.
"The department is vigorously channelling energy towards improving Primary Health Care. This will improve conditions of primary health care facilities with maintenance backlog and provide accommodation for health professionals at health facilities in rural areas," Masike said.
Enquiries:
Tebogo Lekgethwane, Provincial Health spokesperson
Cell: 082 929 9958
E-mail: tlekgethwane@nwpg.gov.za
