Programme director
Inkosi – BS Nzimakwe
Izinduna kanye neSigungu
Mayor – Cllr Shusha
Our District Manager - Mr Veeran Chetty
Chairperson of the Clinic Committee - Ms LZ Mkhwanazi
Abasebenzi boMnyango in all categories
Malunga omphakathi ahloniphekile
We consider it a great honour to have this ceremony just five days after our President, Hon Jacob Zuma gave the country direction in his State of the Nation Address where for us in the Health sector declared: ‘this year we will emphasise the appointment of appropriate and qualified personnel to the right positions. We plan to train more nurses. The renovations and refurbishments of hospitals and clinics will continue.’
Today we are happy that we are doing exactly that, officially opening a revamped Ntabeni Clinic for all the 28 000 people residing here at KwaNzimakwe area. The upgrading done here was completed in 2008 to the value of R 12.489.000 and comprises:
- 1 short stay room
- 3 counselling room
- 1 waiting room
- 1 reception room
- 1 ANC/ARV room
Our commitment to the President’s call is supported by the personnel that we have deployed here that consist of:
- 1 operation manager
- 11 professional nurses
- 4 enrolled nurses
- 1 enrolled nurse assistant
- 1 data capturer
- 4 lay counsellors
- 6 general orderlies
- 3 security guards (public) working day shift
- 2 private security guards (working night duty only)
- 1 clinic support officer
For this area we have gone further to include the Dental services in spite of the service being a Community Health Centre or District Hospital package of care. We are also proud of the fact that we are able to provide a 24 hour service due to the fact that there are three nurses’ home flats which are used by nursing staff.
In turn I also want to thank and congratulate the management and the clinic committee for all the successes and innovations that are being carried out for the benefit of our people in this facility that includes:
- Stable chronic hypertensive and Diabetic patients being rolled out to Ntabeni clinic
- ARV clients getting their medication monthly at Ntabeni clinic as we are currently taking care of 865 clients
- Initiation of ARV to pregnant women
- Ntabeni clinic doing 40 deliveries a month and therefore being the top Primary Health Carefacility for deliveries in Ugu District
- Ntabeni clinic starting a soup kitchen to feed malnourished TB patients daily. This initiative being assisted by Operational Hunger International with food supply including vegetables
- Having support groups for Chronic diseases, mental health, Physically challenged and HIV and AIDS
- Clinic supplying food parcels for needy clients in partnership with the South African National Tuberculosis Association (SANTA)
- Having this clinic well supported by the Traditional leadership and ward councillor
- The solid South African Police Service (SAPS) and Health Partnership for safety and security reasons and that saw SAPS using one of our rooms as a satellite office.
Programme director, according to our Health Calendar Month this week is celebrated as the Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) and Condom Week and I must say that I am disappointed by the reckless sexual behaviour gleaned from the 2009 to 2010 District Teenage Pregnancy Project that show horrifying statistics of school going age girls falling pregnant, vis:
- Masosha Secondary School - 26 girls
- Bheki Secondary School - 25 girls
- Nombuso Secondary School - 14 girls
- Khaba Junior Secondary School - 10 girls
Bakwethu lezibalo zabantwana bethu abakhulelwayo besezikoleni ziyihlazo elikhulu.
What this says is that there are older people corrupting our children, the sugar daddies. The 75 girls that fell pregnant in this area last year are all at the risk of incurring AIDS if they have not been diagnosed as HIV positive yet. Already there are signs that show an escalation in the Sexually Transmitted Infections in this area as this clinic alone last dealt with 104 cases. We sincerely appeal to the leadership to lend a hand in this matter.
As a department, we are ready to assist as pointed out by the Hon President last week when he said: ‘we will broaden the scope of reproductive health rights and provide services related to amongst others, contraception, sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancy and sanitary towels for the indigent.’
We also want to help all those who test positive in any ailment that they have and encourage those who are found to be negative to remain so hence the campaign to test 15 million South Africans by June 2011 for HIV and other diseases I may as well utilise this platform to inform uNdabezitha and all the people that government delivery train is in motion as we have plans to build a new clinic for 2014/15 at Bhokidasa (Ward 9) which is currently being serviced by this Ntabeni Clinic.
Lastly, I consider it prudent that I share with you that on Sunday, 13 February, I ran 21 kilometres to promote a message of healthy lifestyle and physical activity as a means to prolong life and prevent diseases of life style. At the end of the month I will also run a 42 kilometre marathon followed by the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town. Thereafter I will participate in the 2011 Comrades Marathon. I am mentioning this because in this area we are experiencing an increase of lifestyle diseases in the form of Hypertension that saw us treating 2854 people last year as well as Diabetes that accounted for 921 cases.
Let us all commit to improve our lives. Working together we will achieve more!
I thank you.
Source: KwaZulu Natal Health
