MARIKANA – Alarmed by a decline in the recovery rate of tuberculosis (TB) patients in the Marikana informal settlement, the Gauteng Department of Health has launched a concerted effort to re-engage many individuals in their TB treatment programs.

This initiative comes on the heels of a sobering 1st quarter report for the 2023/2024 financial year, revealing troubling statistics in the Sedibeng district. The report disclosed a staggering 15% mortality rate, with 94 patients succumbing to TB, and a disconcerting loss to follow-up rate of 9.9%, involving 60 patients.

Of particular concern is the fact that Sedibeng, a comparatively small municipal district, accounts for nearly half of the TB-related deaths in the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg, which reported 200 deaths.

MEC @NkomoNomantu is in Marikana Informal Settlement in Vanderbijlpark with the TB programme team and healthcare professionals to create awareness around the disease and encourage residents to continue taking their medication. The area has an increased number of infections pic.twitter.com/naYGLv4rIY

— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) October 6, 2023

In response to these disheartening figures, MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko spearheaded a visit to the settlement just outside Vanderbijlpark, accompanied by the TB program team and dedicated healthcare professionals.

Their mission is to raise awareness about the insidious disease and encourage residents to adhere to their prescribed medication regimens.

Following her visit, Nkomo-Ralehoko passionately declared, “We are here to ensure that the many community members who are defaulting on TB treatment in this area are put back on their treatment regimen as soon as possible. We cannot continue to mourn the loss of our loved ones due to TB, a disease that is curable and for which treatment is readily available at all levels of healthcare in the province.”

Nkomo-Ralehoko also took the time to visit Ntswaki Lehona, a 33-year-old individual who was initially diagnosed with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in the Free State in 2003. Currently diagnosed with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and receiving TB treatment at Sizwe Tropical Hospital, Lehona’s condition has significantly improved since her admission.

WATCH: Grace Radebe the TB programme manager says due to the increasing numbers of TB infections in Marikana @GautengHealth has intensified the awareness programme to encourage citizens to make use of healthcare services #AsibeHealthyG pic.twitter.com/WTx3PSqwb9

— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) October 6, 2023

Grace Radebe, the TB program manager, emphasized the pressing need for increased awareness as TB infections continue to rise in Marikana. “We brought the campaign to Marikana because the area is far from the Bophelong clinic,” Radebe explained. “We learned that our patients do not come to the clinic, primarily due to its distance and size. Given the high prevalence of TB in the area, we decided to bring the healthcare services directly to the people. We conduct numerous screenings here.”