Pretoria – Gauteng’s clinic outreach teams have conducted over 8 000 home visits in an effort to improve the quality and delivery of primary healthcare across the province.
The Gauteng Health Department on Monday said from March to December 2012, 8 462 households were visited and 7 682 patients were treated.
Out of these, 1 499 patients were referred to hospitals for specialised treatment and care.
The department has also extended the service hours at some community health centres (CHCs) to make them operational 24 hours a day to help ease the pressure on tertiary institutions.
“All CHCs and clinics now provide services for patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, epilepsy, TB and those on ARV treatment.
“In addition, 300 community health workers (CHWs) were trained during this period. CHWs monitor patients regularly and deliver medication to their homes, helping to reduce waiting times at public health facilities,” said Health MEC Hope Papo.
Five district clinical specialist teams have also been established to address challenges of maternal deaths in the province.
Papo said these teams, which comprise obstetricians, gynaecologists, professional nurses, midwives and anaesthetists, worked closely with regional and tertiary hospitals to improve referrals.
“We are happy that people now have confidence in our primary healthcare system. We, however, urge more people to use the appropriate levels of care to avoid inconveniences such as long queues,” Papo said. – SAnews.gov.za
