MEC for Health Sindiswa Gomba visited the Pellsrus Clinic at Jeffrey’s Bay which was recently refurbished by inmates.
The visit was part of the MEC’s Outreach where she links the Exco Outreach to health’s service delivery initiatives in the areas where the Executive Committee of the Province meets. In this instance the Executive Committee met at the Sarah Baartman District.
During her visit, the MEC saw a very clean facility that was recently painted by the inmates from St Albans. The catchment areas impacting on the clinic are the following: Pellsrus, Ocean View, Wave Crest, Paradise, Ashton Bay, Jeffrey’s Bay Central and Kabeljous.
The primary health care package at the clinic comprises, EPI, Child Health, Integrated Nutrition Program, Maternal, Women’s Health, HAST Services, Chronic, Acute/Curative, Pharmaceutical Services and Mental Health.
The MEC met with clinic committee representatives, Councillors, the Mayor and Speaker of Jeffrey’s Bay. The Councillors raised concerns about health services at Kouga Sub District. The concerns ranged from non-availability of ambulances, no drivers for ambulances, ambulances at repairs for long periods, EMS selecting routes to cover especially gravel roads leading to Oyster Bay and Elus not willing go there.
There was also an issue about the backlog of signing disability grants by doctors for SASSA. The teachers also raised the issue of waiting times at the clinic seeing that they leave learners unattended in class. The teachers pleaded for prioritisation. The high defaulter rate was also raised as a matter of concern.
The MEC acknowledged the concerns raised and responded by saying that the previous day she had delivered replacement ambulances for Sarah Baartman. She also mentioned the importance of queue marshals at health facilities in order to make clients experience a quality healthcare experience at our facilities.
The MEC emphasized the centrality of the clinic in the provision of Primary Healthcare Services. She also urged the communities as well as the clinic committees to be the ones to endorse community Health Workers. She said that CHW’s have a responsibility to receive treatment and to distribute it.
The Councillors urged the people to support the National Health Insurance. The MEC assured the meeting that stemming the stealing of files, the department is putting cameras in places where there are patient files so that the files do not get stolen.
The MEC emphasized also the need to do away with non-core functions. The need to recover revenue for the department was also spoken about. MEC Gomba said that vacant and funded posts must be filled by the department.
The Speaker of the Municipality thanked all the people that visited Pellsrus Clinic and the Kouga Municipality.
Siyanda Manana
