MBOMBELA – As winter season approaches many young men and woman will be heading to the veld to attend various initiation schools, and the provincial health department has vowed not to be left behind in ensuring that all processes are followed to ensure that no lives are lost during the initiation season.

According to the department’s MEC, Mr Gillion Mashego, this will be done in collaboration with the Ingoma Forum, the Department of Cooperate Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and other health stakeholders.

Mashego as part of his annual plan during the initiation season, will be visiting various initiation schools to monitor the provision of health services at the schools.

“Every season, I visit initiation schools to check if the initiates are well looked after.

In my previous experience during the visits, I have come across bad situations, where initiates are not provided enough water.

In some cases one will find that the initiates have been brought to the schools without their medical status being checked, which leads to fatal illnesses.

Since 2014, we have only had six initiates who have passed on during the season.

This has taught us a lesson to intensify our medical assistance which we provide as a department”. said Mashego

During the initiation season, the department with Ingoma Forum will be providing the following services:

* Health screening to any health centre as this will prevent mortalities and other health related illness that can be triggered
during initiation period,

* Provision of health screening which includes TB screening, HIV screening, Diabetic Mellitus, Hypertension and other life style illness,

* Utilization of authorized traditional surgeons that works with local traditional leader/s to avoid bogus initiation school,

* Encouraging all those on chronic medication to continue with their medication during initiation period and utilization of medical practitioners approved by the traditional leaders to provide health services and

* Utilization of medical practitioners and health personnel approved by traditional leaders and Ingoma Forum to provide
health services where need arise.

The MEC has further encouraged all stakeholders to continue working together to ensure that no life is lost during the coming initiation season.

“The role of traditional leaders is central to the success of campaigns to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the communities.

As government, we will strengthen our collaboration with the institutions of traditional leadership in all our campaigns to raise awareness, and promote voluntary testing and counselling” concluded Mashego.