The Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development’s efforts to improve the quality of health care and social services for all South Africans yielded positive results in the third quarter of the current financial year, October to December 2010.
This is according to a report tabled by the Department to the Health and Social Portfolio Committee in the legislature today.
As a result of free dental services offered by the department, the number of fissure sealants placed in school children increased from 25 309 to 36 327 whilst the number of dentures delivered to old age pensioners increased from 2 400 to 5 367.
During the quarter in question, the department prioritised the issuing of assistive devices and reduced backlogs. As a result, the number of people issued with assistive devices increased from 14 443 to 23 137.
Through “Know your Status” campaign the community is gradually becoming aware of the importance of antenatal early booking. As such antenatal visits before 20 weeks rate increased from 29.9% to 32.6% in the quarter under review. This makes the department’s goal of reducing neonatal and maternal deaths achievable. Also through this campaign, a significant increase has been noted in the cervical cancer screening coverage. It has improved from 15% in the first quarter to 65.3% in the quarter in question.
More children were also presented for immunisation, the coverage reached 118%. Vitamin A coverage for children under one year and new mothers increased to 112% and 94.5% respectively. Through expanded programme on immunisation 117%.7 of children were immunised against measles.
Waiting times at Community Health Centres were also prioritized in the third quarter. Provisional baselines for waiting times, currently in use are as follows: CHCs: 88-200 minutes; OPD: 55-150 minutes; Accident & Emergency (A&E) unit: 48-180 minutes for Priority 2 & 3 patients; Pharmacy: 50-120 minutes.
In the quarter under review, 26 CHCs achieved the benchmark primarily due to implementation of improved systems on the reduction of waiting times. This included fast queues for chronic and old-age patients and improved monitoring of waiting times.
To improve the availability of health professionals, the department employed 212 doctors, 254 nurses and 117 allied workers between December 2010 and February 2011.
In the War on Poverty, the department has profiled 1 433 households. A total of 1 729 beneficiaries received food relief from the department’s food bank.
The department also supported women owned cooperatives as a measure to alleviate poverty. The cooperatives manufacture and supply linen items to health care institutions in the province.
The expansion of Early Childhood Development (ECD) services remained one of the critical priority areas of the department in the period under review.A total of 963 ECDs were registered and funded benefitting 61 077 children.
Enquiries:
Simon Zwane
Cell: 082 551 9892
