By Becker Semela:
Free State MEC for Health Monyatso Mahlatsi has taken a big step in improving healthcare in rural areas by visiting traditional leaders in Tsheseng and Namahadi villages in QwaQwa, east of Free State, on Tuesday.
In a statement to NewsSA on Thursday, Mahlatsi said his visit focused on working together with traditional leadership to improve service delivery in villages and to tackle healthcare challenges faced by communities in QwaQwa.
The visit was warmly welcomed by the traditional leaders who included Morena e Moholo wa Bakoena, Morena Moremoholo Mopeli and Morena Montoeli Mota. They thanked MEC Mahlatsi for showing interest in their communities’ health needs, where access to healthcare remains a serious issue for many villagers.
As part of the visit, the MEC toured Sekamotho and Eva Mota clinics, where he met with local residents to listen to their concerns and experiences with the health system. He said these face-to-face engagements gave him a clearer picture of the real issues affecting people on the ground.
A major concern raised during the visit was the delayed opening of the Eva Mota Clinic. Morena Montoeli Mota shared his hope that the clinic will operate 24 hours a day once it is opened. Currently, the clinic is 95% finished but is not yet in use due to delays in payments to the contractor that built it.
“Only a few final touches like waste management, a water tank and furniture still need to be sorted out. I fully agreed that finishing and opening the clinic must be a top priority so that people can start benefiting from the services,” he said.
The traditional leaders also promised to send formal requests for help with key health projects and campaigns. They said they were ready to work with the department to make sure the health needs of their communities are met,” Mahlatsi said.
Mahlatsi added that another key focus of his visit was on HIV prevention and treatment. “I spoke strongly about the importance of making sure people who are living with HIV stay on treatment and are not lost in the system. He also shared his plans to reduce child and teenage pregnancies in the province.
“The campaign will focus on teaching young people about the dangers of unprotected sex, including the risks of falling pregnant at a young age and contracting sexually transmitted infections,” Mahlatsi said.
The MEC concluded his visit at Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Regional Hospital, where he also held a meeting with the acting district director, Phillip Radebe, and hospital management. They discussed serious challenges the hospital is facing, including staff shortages, poor water supply, electricity problems and issues affecting clinics in the area. – @NewsSA-Online
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