Prieska
14 February 2006
Programme Director,
MEC for Health â Ms ES Selao,
Members of the Portfolio Committee for Health,
Mayors and Councillors,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Ndithi molweni kuni nonke. We have come to celebrate the dawn of a new day
for health services in Thembelihle. We are witnessing the start of a new season
for health delivery, which the African National Congress (ANC) led government
is here to inaugurate.
In not so many days ago as Premier of the Northern Cape I informed the
province of our advances in revitalising our healthcare centres and health
system.
Now we have come to realise a moment that has been happily awaited by the
people of Prieska and Thembelihle. This is a very important development right
here within and amongst the people.
You cannot fail to see how this new and outstanding building inspires hope
in the lives of this township. It is giving a much needed face lift and
therefore also speaks to the ANC governmentâs commitment to regenerate
communities.
In the last few days and the coming weeks we will be turning sods and
opening new clinics in various communities throughout our province. We want to
ensure that we expand our peopleâs access to health services.
To this effect we will also be expanding the range of services that we will
be providing to people through primary health care. Most of our clinics,
including this one are being developed to provide a comprehensive package of
health services.
The services that will be provided here will be universally acceptable,
accessible and quality will be assured. For us as the ANC led government we do
not only seek to chase delivery targets without quality. Hence I am emphasising
this point of quality assurance.
The people of Prieska who cannot afford to go to a private doctor must have
the assurance that they can receive the same quality of services right here at
this clinic. They must be assured that the prescribed medicine they require
will always be in stock right here at this clinic.
Our friendly, caring and humane staff shall put the interests and lives of
our people first. The principles of Batho Pele are the corner stone of our
emphasis on being a loving and caring Government.
The face and quality of the services that we provide at this clinic must be
such that it must become the first point of call for all. Including those who
can afford to pay for private health services; they must choose the public
health system as a service provider of choice.
The Primary Healthcare service is a personal and family orientated service
that is the first point of contact with the health system. Community
participation is critical in our preventative health system that seeks to
particularly stop the outbreak of disease and illnesses.
The clinic will be a point from which our staff and health volunteers reach
out to the community to extend our services and care for those suffering from
disease such as tuberculosis (TB) and other chronic diseases.
As a community we must particularly cherish those that make this service
possible, the staff, including the clinic which will play an important
supporting role for our volunteers.
A number of other services will be extended from the clinic, this will be
geared to addressing the disease profile of the area and challenges of health
we encounter; amongst these services we speak of:
* Maternal Health and Women Protection â This is a priority for us as the ANC
government. This clinic will therefore amongst others provide antenatal and
postnatal care. It is important that pregnant mothers start making use of the
service as soon as they become aware of the pregnancy. This will ensure that we
avoid maternal and child deaths during pregnancy.
The clinic will also assist with matters such as family planning, child care
through the management of disease afflicting children. We are particularly
concerned about the prevalence of the foetal alcohol syndrome that is as a
result of the abuse of alcohol by pregnant mothers. Do not drink if you are
expecting a child because this will definitely affect the physical and mental
state of the child.
The Clinic will also assist with the treatment and management of
communicable disease such as TB and HIV/AIDS. We have already made mention of
the role that our volunteers play in this regard. It is also correct to raise a
concern about the continued spread of sexually transmitted disease and teenage
pregnancies. It signals that some young people in particular are not abstaining
or at least condomising and possibly being faithful. We must work together to
stop the spread of Aids.
This message is much more relevant today as some would be observing
Valentines Day today. If we love ourselves and our partners lets think about
their health and that of ours beyond today. Letâs abstain, or condomise and
always be faithful.
Amongst the other services that the clinic will offer will be chronic
disease management, trauma and emergency treatment, injuries, minor ailments
and substance abuse.
We are also looking at the issue of access to Primary Healthcare with the
view to extend our service hours. Many of our people, workers including civil
servants cannot benefit from the service because our clinics generally close at
four. We are looking at extending the working hours from 7h00 â 20h00.
The community must participate in the life of the clinic and ensure that the
staff of the clinic is able to do their jobs without hindrance. It is the
responsibility of the community to ensure that the clinic is always clean and
not vandalised.
This clinic will operate with state of the art equipment and a lot of things
that come at a cost for government and the tax payer, and all of these are
critical to save lives in this community. Letâs expose those criminals who will
want to benefit from stealing and vandalizing the clinic.
We need it to remain here and be an inspiration to the children of
Thembelihle, they must aspire to be nurses and doctors like those who will be
coming here to offer vital services.
The people of Prieska must be proud one day when they can be serviced by a
community doctor who was born and bred in this township. There are many
opportunities for young people in the field of the health sciences; we need
nurses, advance emergency care practitioners, radiographers and doctors amongst
others.
I want to use this opportunity as early as now to challenge the matriculants
of this year to get the required marks to be accepted to study medicine and we
will pay for their studies. We will pay for your studies and you will come back
to serve your community with pride. The ANC led government is giving our
children opportunities that our parents did not have, letâs encourage them to
study hard and abstain from things that will negatively affect their
development.
I am much honoured today to once more fulfil a commitment that government
made in the contract to create a better life for all. Once more this is your
clinic, protect it jealously, kuze kube chosi kube hele kuni bantu base
Thembelihle.
Thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
14 February 2006
