The city council’s health department is targeting primary health care and environmental health as key programmes to fulfil its health services charter.The plan was elaborated by city council officials at a planning session with Alex residents.
The charter would be implemented through a 10-point plan which included active citizenry, food resilience, safer cities, human settlement and financial resilience. The Deputy Regional Health Director, Vusi Mazibuko said it was an attempt to distribute resources equitably by upgrading and developing new facilities, providing equipment, medicines and sufficient staff.
He said it required community participation, especially regarding the rat infestation which was due to uncontrolled littering and illegal dumping.
The city council and government won’t succeed without community collaboration he said, in reference to the grime, dirt and other social challenges such as teenage pregnancy.
Annah Masia, primary health care manager, and health promoter Velisha Thompson, said the plan would enhance efficiency, and would include community participation in reducing the burden of disease and in the early detection of diseases. They said it would also reduce child mortality, communicable and non communicable diseases such as HIV/Aids,TB and malaria. It would also improve referrals, and promote health and education.
“It will also contribute to the country achieving its obligations to the Millennium Development Goals on health set by the United Nations,” Masia said.
Ncumisa Mehana of the primary health care unit, said almost 40 percent of the population in region E, which included Alex, were unemployed and prone to anti-social activities.
The safer cities component of the plan would attend to this challenge by attaching 10 Metro police officers per ward. She urged residents to collaborate with the officers.
Mehana also stressed the need for communities to develop food gardens for their supply of fresh vegetables for improved health, and also to reduce the cost to households.
Dr Nkateko Mkhondo of NGO Annova Health Institute, encouraged the department and residents to establish health clubs which, she said, would encourage the sick to play an active role in managing their own health.
“The clubs will comprise of 20 to 30 chronic patients linked to a health promoter who will prepare their medical re-supplies for collection, bypassing the normal queues. This, she said, would make service provision friendlier, encourage treatment compliance, enable them to play an active role in managing their own health, help them to collect medication for each other and reduce congestion at clinics.
