Eastern Cape Department of Health

10 NOVEMBER 2022 MEDIA INVITE

BHISO — After battling with unbearable back and neck pains due to macromastia, about 17 women will undergo breast reduction surgeries at Mthatha Regional Hospital (MRH) this weekend.

Macromastia is a condition of abnormal enlargement of the breast tissue in excess of the normal proportion which may be caused by excessive fatty tissues.

The Breast Reduction Marathon is an initiative led by the head of plastic surgeon Dr Viwe Nogaga, aimed at reducing the backlog in these surgeries.

The majority of the women set to benefit from this life-changing procedure come from under privileged backgrounds who aslo cannot afford to access such services at privately owned facilties.

The patients with disproportionate breast mostly suffer severe health conditions like chronic back and neck pains, headaches, shoulder pains, deep bra-strap grooves, and rashes beneath both their breasts.

Their breasts can become chronically painful, causing postural changes, along with inflamation, irritation, and other dermatologic manifestations.

This also causes psychological impact and many patients develop low self esteem and self-consciousness l about their size.

Reduction mammoplasty eliminates these problems in most instances.

The media is invited to cover and report on the life-changing surgeries as follows:

DATE: 13 November 2022

VENUE: Mthatha Regional Hospital

Time: 10h00

Issued by the Eastern Cape Department of Health.

For enquiries, contact:

Mr Mkhululi Ndamase, Spokesperson to MEC on 071 851 8338

Ms Yonela Dekeda, Provincial Spokesperson, Eastern Cape Department of Health on 083 378 0968

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EMBARKS ON A MASSIVE RECRUITMENT DRIVE

The Eastern Cape Department of Health has appointed seasoned administrator and medical doctor, Rolene Wagner as the new Superintendent-General, effective from August 1 2021.Dr Wagner comes with a wealth of experience as she led Frere Hospital with distinction for years as its CEO before taking up a position as Deputy Director General: Hospitals and Clinical Support Management Services.

PLANS TO EMPLOY MORE HEALTHCARE WORKERS At AN ADVANCED STAGE

The Eastern Cape Department of Health will employ more than 80 healthcare workers, hopefully by the beginning of next month.
Recruitment processes are at an advanced stage for the search of 86 frontline workers. These are 20 professional nurses, 20 enrollment nurses and 20 assistant nurses.
Should recruitment processes go smoothly with no glitches, the healthcare workers are expected to report for duty on July 1.
They will be placed on a needs basis with clinics and hospitals in desperate need of more workers prioritised.
MEC Nomakhosazana Meth welcomed the move.

VACCINATION PROGRAMME IN FULL SWING

With the Sisonke Protocol vaccine programme back in full swing, the Eastern Cape Department of Health has called on people aged 60 and above to register for the lifesaving jab.
The country’s vaccination programme has been strengthened by the arrival of the Pfizer vaccine – which will mostly be administered in urban areas because it needs two doses.
The one does Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be mainly used in rural areas as it does not require people to be traced again and given the second dose.
While the vaccine was initially administered in Gqeberha, Mthatha and East London, it has been spread to other hospitals in the province as the Eastern Cape hopes to inoculate 4.5-million people in order to achieve herd immunity.

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