Although there is still a lot to be done by the Free State Provincial Department of Health for the entire Xhariep District Municipality, at least the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP’s) delegates noted with some hope for a positive progress in the planned project developments on infrastructural refurbishments, filling of critical managerial vacant positions - to stop verbal agreements for acting positions with no allowances, improvement in the payment of stipends to community care givers (CCGs) and community healthcare workers (CHWs), mobile clinics, security concerns, and that the municipality must ensure a reliable running water supply system and other municipal-related services affecting all the primary healthcare centres in the district, and so on.
This was due to a remarkable level of cooperation and commitment shown by the primary healthcare professionals and district and Free State Provincial Health Department officials in the Letsemeng Local Municipality who accompanied the NCOP delegation for the duration of NCOP preliminary oversight visits.
On Thursday, 18 May, even though not entirely happy with a number of primary healthcare service delivery issues, the NCOP delegates voiced out their delight at Bophelong Community Healthcare Centre (CHC), which was the last site to be visited for the NCOP preliminary oversight visits to the Xhariep District Municipality. The delegation, together with senior officials from the district, the Provincial Department of Health and local councillors, were briefed by the Bophelong CHC Operational Manager, who like in most of the other visited sites, showed a high level of cooperation, honesty and passion which was visibly displayed by all staff at this facility.
Linked to all the similar primary healthcare service delivery matters affecting both staff and the surrounding local communities, Bophelong Community Healthcare Centre is not an exception. The once 24-hour service primary healthcare facility for the whole Xhariep District Municipality, is now open from 7.30 am to 4 pm from Mondays to Fridays, and this is due to a number of reasons such as professional nurses and specialist doctors or medical specialists who migrated to big cities and urban areas in search of greener pastures – with the struggling rural Xhariep District Municipality and Free State Provincial Department of Health having dismally failed to retain a bulk of the primary healthcare staff personnel even though measures were put in place to avoid the situation, such as rural incentives and accommodation that were provided to specialist doctors and professional nurses.
As a result, the Bophelong Community Healthcare Centre is also experiencing staff shortages to its supposed staff establishment. For the outpatient services, the facility is serviced by the Koffiefontein Emergency Service (EMS) station which is largely also experiencing similar challenges but being responsible for all the ambulance services to hospitals such as Diamant Hospital in Jagersfontein, Pelonomi and National Hospitals in Mangaung. The same EMS station is serving all the primary healthcare centres in Letsemeng Local Municipality. Mostly, after having been stabilised all the emergencies are referred to National and Pelonomi Hospitals that are about 80 km from the Bophelong Community Healthcare Centre.
Furthermore, as with the other local primary healthcare facilities in this local municipality, Bophelong Community Healthcare Centre’s current building structure does not meet the requirements for an ideal 24-hour service facility, because of a lack of proper pharmacy storage space, consultation rooms, emergency rooms, security guard room, proper waiting room, healthcare equipment, the only toilet for the physically challenged being not in a good working condition, no adequate mobile clinic – and this situation affects most of the farming communities as this facility is servicing about 50 surrounding farms.
To an extent, Bophelong Community Healthcare Centre’s building structure is slightly bigger than the other clinics, which are actually houses that had been converted into clinics. This has led to the facility having an upper hand in terms of the rendered services such as the re-engineering (visits by community healthcare workers) that include a ward-based team servicing two wards with six community healthcare workers and five community care givers, school health and a district specialist’s team. “The in-facility services are antenatal care, TB services, chronic illnesses including HIV and Aids, integrated management of childhood illnesses, reproductive health, postnatal care, expanded programme on immunisations and nutrition services,” the facility’s Operational Manager passionately explained to the NCOP delegation.
She added: “We also offer mental care services with one psychiatrist visiting every first week of the month; maternity high-risk clinic which is done every last week of an alternated month, [also] having a psychologist who visits every Friday,” said the Operational Manager.
“We thank you indeed for such a detailed presentation and a job well done under the circumstances. However, I believe that there are quick wins to some of the challenges as you really need not to wait for the NCOP Taking Parliament to the People Programme (TPTTP) to deal with some of the minor issues. And therefore, I would recommend that some of the matters be referred to the local councillors and the relevant municipality structures,” said Mr Raseriti Tau, leader of the NCOP delegation in his closing remarks.
The two local councillors and officials from the District and Provincial Health Departments who were part of the NCOP delegation from day one positively committed themselves to do their level best in engaging with the local municipality and the Free State Provincial Health Department to further report on the issues and promised to provide feedback even before the NCOP comes back to the district for the main TPTTP Programme in August. Likewise, the facility’s Operational Manager also committed herself to do everything in her power to speedily work on whatever her staff can manage. This was welcomed by all members of the delegation who commended this kind of cooperation and positive commitment in resolving the primary healthcare service delivery issues in the entire Letsemeng Local Municipality.
By Manelisi Ntsodo
22 May 2017
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