The North West Department of Health and Social Development will this financial year start with construction of older persons' complex in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district. The complex will provide 24 hour day care services to older persons in need of care and protection.
Delivering department’s R6.2 billion budget speech; MEC Rebecca Kasienyane said her department will establish and fund seven community based care services in the same district, Ngaka Modiri Molema and Bojanala districts.
"We will also strengthen 29 residential facilities and 38 community based care services in all districts through the monthly subsidy, and increase access of services to those eligible from 5 000 to 20 000 beneficiaries," she said.
In further strengthening services for persons with disabilities, Kasienyane said the department will establish and fund two new economic empowerment projects and two new service organisations for care and protection of persons with disabilities, strengthen 13 existing organisations (6 residential, 2 economic empowerment projects and five day care organisations) through monthly subsidy and increase access of services to those eligible from 5 000 to 15 000 beneficiaries.
"This will be done through implementation of advocacy and awareness programmes to raise awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities to reduce incidents of social exclusion and facilitate their mainstreaming in the broader society.
"Similarly to the older persons' services, we will provide psychosocial support services through our social workers, facilitate profiling of Persons with disabilities in order to develop responsive interventions and implement a transformation plan to increase and improve service accessibility and quality," she said.
The Substance Abuse Prevention and Rehabilitation programme will also be greatly improved in 2010/11 and plans to make this possible, include operating the In-patient Treatment unit linked to Witrand hospital for treatment and rehabilitation of people dependent on drugs.
The department will expand in-patient services in other districts by finalising the agreement to establish units linked to Bophelong and Taung hospitals for people dependent on drugs.
"It is also our priority to fast-track establishment and funding of three new organisations for rendering out-patient service for reintegration purposes, to facilitate strengthening of six existing organisations rendering rehabilitation services; implement advocacy and awareness programmes through Ke Moja substance abuse prevention strategy and to implement capacity building programmes to 500 staff and partners to improve service delivery," she concluded.
Enquiries:
Tebogo Lekgethwane
Cell: 082 929 9958
E-mail: tlekgethwane@nwpg.gov.za
Ngwako J Motsieng
Tel: 018 387 5740
Cell: 082 964 8838
Cell: 082 097 4970
Fax to e-mail: 086 634 2993
E-mail: nmotsieng@nwpg.gov.za or nmotsieng@gmail.com.
