Ndabezitha Inkosi ET Xolo
Izinduna zeNkosi:
Induna Thutshini – in charge of Mvutshini as well as Lamont Location, kanye ne
Induna AS Nhlumayo – in charge of Mankuntshana
Acting Inkosi Ugu Health District Manager – Mr Chetty
Clinic manager and the staff
Clinic Committee Chairperson - Mr TV Mpangele
Malunga omphakathi ahloniphekile
Allow me to first congratulate you as the people of greater Ugu District for having participated in the peaceful local government elections where you were able to elect leaders of your choice. At the provincial level we expert good things to continue happening here.
Programme director, on behalf of the KwaZulu Natal government led by our Honourable Premier, Dr Zweli Mkhize, we are here today to officially hand over and open the Mvutshini Clinic that we completed in November 2009.
I must say that we are pleased with this development intended to improve our people’s lives that cost us a sum of R 5 645 000. Even though this is eight hour Clinic that opens five days a week, it does provide for emergency services as we made available a residential place for nurses to take care of the 5 000 strong community members that come from the following areas:
- Mankuntshana
- Lamont
- Mcabashe
- Jericho
- Nositha
- Fascadale
- Masinenge (Extension 03)
- Part of Nkampini area
Programme director, it does remain our fervent wish that Inkosi Xolo and all the people under his Traditional Council will love and protect this facility and its personnel and also make use of the services offered here.
We also appeal that you look after our personnel that conduct Outreach services involving the Medical Officer who comes here twice a month as well as the therapists who conducts monthly visits.
Our health care workers must always remember that when people go to clinics its because they have health problems and that they are basing their hopes to nurses that whatever discomfort they are experiencing will be attended to.
We are pleased that the community is already accessing the help that is being offered here.
We also have concerns about the fact that other people do not come forward especially in the treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) as our records show that in the period January – December 2010 we treated 447 STI cases but with only 76 partners.
We are also concerned about the delay in ANC attendance amongst pregnant mothers as well as reluctance in bringing babies into the health facility hence in the same period mentioned above, we had to attend to 491 new cases of pneumonia of the under five babies.
Out of the population of 5 000 I must indicate that we are also not impressed by the fact that only 873 members of the community have utilised this Clinic for HCT services. Remember at the end of this month our province is expected to have attended to three million people in order for our country to attain its 15 million HCT target. This is not just a case of numbers but a quest and an effort to make everyone to be aware of his or her status and for those infected to access medication that will prolong their lives.
Our department calls upon people to be mindful of their health status. Today we are saying now that you have a health care facility; please use it mostly for screening purposes so that you can be aware of ailments that are treated easily when earlier detected.
We also want to emphasis the issue of adhering to correct taking of medication as advised by the doctors and nurses. The situation of MDR and XDR tuberculosis strains arise as a result of people defaulting in their medication.
The clinic we are opening today offers a lot of services encompassing all the stages of human development from when the woman is pregnant to treating chronic illnesses that afflict people in their old age.
We are also proud of the fact that in this very facility since the beginning of this month, we have started on Nurse Initiated and Management ART programme (NIMART). We are now guaranteeing that every person who qualifies for the ARV’s here will receive them.
Ndabezitha, it is with sadness that I again have to raise the matter of teenage pregancy in as far as it affects the future of our girls. Here in this area we have four primary schools, a junior secondary and a high school that are serviced by the Mvutshini Clinic. We were very disappointed to learn that last year at Mthombothi Primary School, one small girl fell pregnant and for what we know all kids at Primary Schools are below the age of 14. This is both a crime and a shame.
It is also disheartening to observe that at Sithanduxolo Junior Secondary 1 girl fell pregnant and at Mlonde High School, 10 young girls became mothers. To me it totally clear that as we speak all these girls are not at school and that their future is finished. I thus call upon all leaders in the community and real men to exercise their role as fathers and start nurturing and protecting the flowers of the nation.
The World Health Organisation also cautions against this practice stating that girls younger than 18 are at risk if they fall pregnant as their bodies and systems are not yet ready to take such a responsibility.
Lastly, as we embrace the opening of this facility we also appeal to the management here to always ensure that the clinic complies with the minimum core standards that we laid down for all our institutions as tabulated in the Make me look like a Hospital project entailing:
- cleanliness
- staff attitude
- shortening of the waiting times or delays in receiving care and health services
- infection control
- ensuring a reliable provision of basic medicines and supplies.
- guaranteeing safety and security for patients, staff and property.
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health
