Pretoria – The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, on Wednesday visited facilities in Duduza, Ekurhuleni, to assess the state of healthcare provided in the district.
Despite some challenges that still need to be addressed, the Ekurhuleni district, Ramokgopa said, fared “very well” in health service delivery and could be counted among some of the best in the country.
The deputy minister’s visit aimed to ensure that government attained its goal of achieving a healthier nation, where people live longer and suffer less illness.
Ramokgopa interacted with health workers, managers, the community and other stakeholders to get a better understanding of the level of service delivery.
The district has managed to reduce severe malnutrition and pneumonia cases in children under the age of five. It has also achieved a TB cure rate of 88%, and has decreased mother-to-child transmission of HIV from 8% to 2.3% in 2011/12.
However, drug stock management at health facilities was still a challenge due to a lack of access to an electronic system to help improve its management.
Similarly, the number of ambulances has been cut from 117 to 69, but plans are in place to add 40 more vehicles.
“We are looking at ensuring that there are obstetric ambulances,” said Ramokgopa.
Despite these challenges, Ramokgopa commended the district for its efforts to improve health services.
“The reduction of severe malnutrition shows that the work of the Department of Social Development has a positive impact. Parents who get the child support grant use it for the benefit of their children.”
She commended the district for having been number one in 2011/12 for having the most improved TB cure rate.
She, however, raised concerns over the high rate of hypertension and diabetes as well as trauma and injuries, which leads to an increase in the demand for ambulances.
“It is important that we work with ward councillors to send the message of exercising, reducing salt and fat in our food, as well as smoking and alcohol, to address the problem of lifestyle diseases,” she said.
She also noted the high number of women who presented at hospitals to deliver babies without booking. This, she said, made it difficult for primary healthcare services to identify mothers who needed to come in for family planning and antenatal care.
“Services need to be strengthened. We are happy that there are interventions to deal with these aspects and we will be monitoring them very closely.”
Ramokgopa also visited Pholosong Hospital to check the availability of medicines, cleanliness, staff attitudes, staff safety and waiting times. She also spent time interacting with patients.
Gauteng Health MEC Hope Papo said the provincial Health Department’s focus was on a turnaround strategy for better health services.
He said despite Gauteng having some of the best doctors, the management of medical staff should be tightened. – SAnews.gov.za
