Health Dept raise albinism awareness with walk
The Department of Health along with KZN MEC, put their weight behind the Albino Society of SA's awareness walk on Saturday.
THE Department of Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo participated in the awareness march organised by the Albinism Society of South Africa (ASSA) KZN branch that began at King Dinuzulu (Berea) Road and proceeded along Dr Pixley ka Seme (West) Street all the way to the Durban City Hall.
The aim of the march was to create awareness about the multiple forms of discrimination, stigma and personal safety challenges people living with Albinism face; all having something to do with dangerous social myths and misconceptions that people have.
MEC Dhlomo, on behalf of the KwaZulu Natal government apologised to all the compatriots living with albinism for the discriminatory treatment they are subjected to in the land of their birth, saying,
“The superstition and stigma associated with albinism continues to leave those with the condition feeling unsafe; isolated and excluded.’
The event which saw hundreds of people with albinism from all corners of the province participate, was also used to commemorate October as the Skin Cancer Month. People with Albinism are more vulnerable to skin cancer than another other group.
Chairperson of Albinism Society in KZN, Bhekisisa Thabethe thanked the MEC for participating and also acknowledged the support and assistance people with Albinism are receiving in King Edward and Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospitals. In these institutions, he says if a person with Albinism visits the hospital for any health condition, he or she is further given forms with details of the Albinism Society as per working arrangement made with the Department;
‘This on its own continues to assist us in creating a data base of all the persons with Albinism in the Province.’
In appealing for more assistance, Thabethe explained that NIVEA SA is supplying them with Sun Screen but that they have challenges in transporting the product to far away Districts like Amajuba; UMkhanyakude and Zululand. MEC Dhlomo reported that almost daily the Department through its Planned Patient Transport arrangements ferries patients and medical sundries to those areas and that the same transport will be used to assist in bringing in the Sun Screen products.
Photo: Themba Mngomezulu.
MEC Dhlomo also informed the assembled that KZN now has McCord Hospital as the Eye Care Centre of Excellence and that since people with Albinism are susceptible to eye sight problems, they should visit clinics that will refer them to McCord.
In this forum, the Chairperson of Albinism Society in KZN also explained that that any one even children, could be born with albinism and that albinism is an inherited condition where a person is unable to produce normal colouring of the skin, hair and eyes (lack of pigments). He further said people who have normal pigmentation could be carriers of the hereditary material that is defective for skin colour.
