NEW BLOOM SWEEPS CLEAN

NEW BLOOM SWEEPS CLEAN

By BRIAN KAJENGO       

As part of enhancing service delivery in the Mpumalanga Department of Health, newly appointed MEC, Mr. Gillion Mashego has embarked on a fact finding mission, interacting with all health personnel and assessing the state of all health facilities in the province.

The MEC’s aim is to get first-hand information and to see for him, the challenges in all the provincial health facilities.

The MEC has already visited hospitals that includes amongst others, Witbank, Middelburg, Mapulaneng, Bongani, Rob Ferreira and Ermelo. His visits have so far revealed a challenge which includes amongst others, shortage of health Personnel, poor and dilapidated health infrastructure, poor supply of linen, over pricing of food in various hospitals and in some instances poor maintenance of the hospital yards.

The biggest challenge which the MEC came across is the alleged bad attitude of health personnel towards patients. This emerged after the MEC received a number of complaints from the general public about the bad attitude they receive from health professionals in various health institutions in the province.

The MEC has since held various meetings with hospitals CEO’s, Hospital and Community Health Centers (CHC) board members to discuss the matter. During a meeting held with hospital and clinic boards at the Nkangala District Municipality in Middelburg on Tuesday the 8^th of July 2014 which was aimed at listening to various challenges in the Nkangala hospitals and clinics, the MEC emphasized his plan of action towards staff that fail to adhere to the nurses pledge which binds all health professional to render health services with commitment.

 “I have received numerous complaints from the pubic in the manner that we treat our patients in the clinics and hospitals and I must say I am not happy. I want to remind all of you that you have signed a pledge to commit yourselves in providing the best health care, but what it is said about you is completely the opposite. Be warned that anyone who will be found to have mistreated patients badly will be dealt with accordingly. We cannot allow a situation where our patients are ill-treated in a place where they are supposed to feel at home” said MEC Mashego. 

While the process of visiting facilities is still unfolding, the MEC requested managers and the staff to respect the people of Mpumalanga by providing respectable, accessible quality health care services.

The MEC is planning to visit all hospitals and clinics to get first-hand information on the challenges in the provincial health facilities. The visits will form part of the MEC’s informed implementation strategy on overhauling service delivery and infrastructure improvement in all the health facilities in the province.