North West Health MEC, Dr. Magome Masike met with the Health Governance Structures from Ngaka Modiri Molema District on Friday, 14 August 2014 to evaluate their performance.
Governance structures are established to advice the MEC on health service delivery matters, concerns of our communities and to represent communities’ views and input on health policy implementation. They comprises of clinic committees, hospital boards, district health council and the provincial health council.
Commenting on the role played by governance structures since appointment in September 2012, MEC Masike has expressed satisfaction but emphasised the need to for the advisory panel not to only raise healthcare challenges but to also offer solutions.
Masike said he sees governance as an investment that was created to transform and develop communities.
“As we go through rationalisation of health services and a change process that is often uncomfortable to a lot of people, you will be our link with communities and share with them our challenges and our intended plans to turn the situation around.
“Though the current environment and impatience of our communities might be blamed, I often suspect their frustrations are further compounded by inadequate feedback.
“Ours has always been to ensure that our people indeed have affordable, accessible and community based health services,” he said.
Motswedi Clinic committee chairperson, Mr. Michael Moletsane welcomed the meeting with MEC Masike. He urged the department to fast track training of nurses in the wake of growing population and demand for quality healthcare service delivery.
Mr. Moletsane called on fellow colleagues serving in various structures to embark on health promotion campaigns to help the department tackle lifestyle diseases.
He said the clinic council has collaborated with traditional authorities in Motswedi to drill a borehole in order to address challenges of water supply in the area.
Ms Mosela Kaudi, acting Chief Directory of Ngaka Modiri Molema Health District commended governance structures in Deelpan. The structure motivated for the department to erect a health post to be manned by a nurse in the area as the village is too big to be serviced only by a mobile clinic.
MEC Masike said the people of the North West province will be best served if they influence policy decisions of government and have a say in the manner in which services should be delivered to them. He urged governance to constantly engage in public participation and report community concerns to the department.
MEC Masike will meet with Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District Health Governance Structures on Friday, 21 August at the North West EMRS College in Orkney. Bojanala and Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati districts Governance Structures are scheduled to meet with MEC Masike on 25 August and 4 September 2015 respectively.
Enquiries:
Tebogo Lekgethwane
Cell: 082 929 9958
E-mail: tlekgethwane@nwpg.gov.za
