occasion of the launch of Doctor Volunteer Programme
21 August 2007
I regard this meeting as a very important milestone and a progressive
development, not only for the Uthungulu District but also for the country at
large.
I truly respect and appreciate this unselfish gesture and deliberate effort
on your part to unreservedly give your time, expertise, intellectual capital
and positive energy for the benefit of others, and this time, without expecting
anything in return. You have re-defined for ordinary people in this province
the ethics of giving and volition. This, I respect with al my honesty and
sincerity. The reality of the situation is that our people out there are
waiting and expecting the government to deliver.
On our own, as government, we really cannot cope. Redressing the imbalances
of the past, fellow compatriots, necessitate that we all hold hands together
and get involved. This, I acknowledge requires on your part, as already
demonstrated
by the establishment of khanya Africa, a spirit of dedication, courage and
sacrifice.
Speaking on the same subject of Volunteerism in 2003, our then Deputy
President Jacob Zuma acknowledged those that came forward by saying: "History
will indeed record your hard work, and afford you the respect and admiration of
our people for volunteering to fight poverty and underdevelopment,
marginalisation and Backwardness."
To tell you the honest fact and to be blunt with you, I am already sensing
that the spin-offs of the relationship we are cementing tonight will not only
benefit those that are sick and in need of health care in the province but also
the families, kith and kin of those who may otherwise stand to lose those who
they love and cherish.
Thank you so much once again.
I am not going to bore you by explaining and tabulating what we as a
department do, save to say that our vision is to provide an optimal health
status and quality health-care to all persons in the province of
KwaZulu-Natal.
As to our achievements and shortfalls, successes and disappointments in that
regard, I would not state anything new because I am cognisant of the fact that
you are situational-based and plying your trade, profession and talents in the
same domain, and thus exposed to the contextual challenges that intermittently
emerge within our operational ambit.
Fellow compatriots, I deem it crucial that we all move from one
understanding especially on the matter concerning statistics as well as on that
pertaining to the scale of the problem. We all know that before 1994 our
country went through a long period of poor provision if not total denial of
quality health care to the majority of our citizens.
It will thus help to know that the Uthungulu District has a population of
902 859 inhabitants. Amongst these, it is a fact that less than 16% of the
population are insured and using Medical Aid schemes and that the rest of the
population solely depends and relies on the public healthcare institutions for
their ailments, diagnosis and survival.
The advent of democracy has come with its own price as almost everyone now
knows that health is a human right. As a progressive and caring government we
have also committed ourselves to provide:
* free healthcare for pregnant mothers
* free health care to the children under five years
* free treatment for sexually transmitted infections
* free testing and treatment of tuberculosis (TB)
* free testing on HIV and AIDS, and free provision of antiretroviral drugs.
Our situation is compounded by the rising rate of unemployment that has
given rise to poor socio-economic conditions that are hotbeds for the spread of
communicable diseases.
In the recent past we have also seen and experiencing the emergence and
spread of a new crop of diseases and infections like the new strains of
tuberculosis in the form of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis as well as the
extreme drug resistant tuberculosis.
You know the situation and statistics on HIV and AIDS. In most cases we all
find ourselves dealing with the complex confluence of both TB and HIV.
Your coming to the fore as khanya Africa, I must say, will without doubt add
impetus to our efforts of giving hope and quality health care to all our
citizens.
As the MEC for Health in this province, I have taken a decision to assist
and nurture the creation of this relationship and work towards eliminating
whatever pitfalls may come its way.
Tomorrow night, I am going to the Eastern Cape for the National Health
Council, a consultative forum that brings together all the nine Health MECs and
Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. I will use that platform to solicit more
support and guidance for this initiative.
As a way forward, I recommend that khanya Africa and our Uthungulu District
enter into a Memorandum of Understanding that will clearly provide the lines of
communication and also provide a clear picture of where interventions are
required.
As a case in point, I will cite one example where we are handicapped. At
times it becomes ironic and contradictory when on the one hand we call on our
people to desist from doing something and on the other hand undercut that
message with the scarcity of human capital and equipment.
For instance, when we promote oral health and dental hygiene, we speak of
the restoration of teeth as opposed to extraction. This is a fair message to
people who are prepared to follow that injunction. But then how do you
accomplish that objective when you do not have a single dentist at Mbongolwane;
at Saint Mary's KwaMagwaza; Nkandla, Ekombe; Lower Umfolozi District War
Memorial Hospitals.
I am saying, except for the Community Service officers who are temporarily
placed, the situation is the same in terms of the non-availability of
therapists, particularly at Nkandla, Ekombe and Mbongolwane Hospitals. We thus
need to agree on a core team that will:
* work with our District officials to jointly agree on laces and areas that
need to be tackled
* determine who and how many clinicians will go where and when
* inform the District Manager what transport needs and equipment you require
where and when
* further determine the extent to which we, first in the District and
subsequently in the entire province, maximise the efficacious use of our mobile
clinics
* intended to service those at the marginal end of social development
strata.
I promise to assist this core team of which I will be an ex officio member
in every way possible and feasible. This is my solemn commitment that there
will be no frustrations, challenges and complexities that will remain
insurmountable. We will deal with everything that comes our way as a manner of
stumbling bloc.
The process we have begun tonight and the value-added to that process will
be a blueprint model for the rest of the province. We hope that with concurrent
monitoring and evaluation of progress made, we will be in a position to
replicate this khanya Africa initiative not only across the districts in the
province but also throughout the country.
The National Department of Health is at the moment liaising with the
employment agency that has been tasked to provide us with healthcare workers
from Tunisia. Currently, the National Health Professions Council is evaluating
the qualification standards of these professionals. I am saying to you there is
a light at the end of the tunnel.
Working together side-by-side we indeed, with fortitude and commitment,
succeed to fight disease fight poverty and give hope to all our people.
Issued by: Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
21 August 2007
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za)
