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Opening of a new clinic at Mangqamzeni in Tabankulu
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Health

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 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
 SPEECH DELIVERED BY M.E.C. FOR HEALTH DR BM GOQWANA
AT THE OPENING OF A NEW CLINIC AT MANGQAMZENI IN TABANKULU
   07 JULY 2000



MC,
 The Honourable Chiefs, Chieftaincy and the Headmen
The Head of Macro Projects and staff
 Health Workers and Officials,
 Business Community,
 Workers, women and children and,
 Fellow South Africans

The legacy of the past is evident throughout the Province. Everyday I sit in my office I listen to delegation and read correspondence from 
communities requesting the government to erect a clinic. Of particular concern is that most of these requests come from rural communities 
in areas where there has been virtually no health service. Another striking feature is the fact that the majority of these people are 
unemployed and cannot afford private sector health service. Perhaps they were left to perish with no one noticing. This shows how the 
destructive policies of the past governments were. There are communities especially in this region that have never even seen a nurse 
before.These are not people who are backward or the so-called mystery tribes of the Amazon Rain Forests. These are the people who appear on 
governments books as taxpayers. These are the people who the Chiefs and Chieftaincies have stood for them for years, yet their voices, 
their outcries fell on deaf ears.They were never on the governments agenda.

Many of the people in rural areas suffer from curable diseases; they die silently and never included in the statistics. Those lucky enough 
flock in the hospitals, which results in overcrowding and resource depletion.

Unlike the previous regime, we are not going to do the duplication of services. In South Africa we were given an impression that the only 
way to deliver health service is through secondary health care. The construction of clinics in these areas marks the fundamental shift from 
this philosophy. Our emphasis is on Primary Health Care. This means that we shall do away with the notion that the hospitals are the places 
to go to when suffering from general illnesses.All general functions will be rendered at the local clinics with the nurses being the 
backbone of the services.

We envisage this process by ensuring that through training and orientation of nurses so that they can investigate the cause of illnesses, 
analyse the extent of the problem and even prescribe treatment necessary where required.Some may argue that the nurse may never be able to 
replace the function of the doctor.This is not the intention.

What we are doing is simply to empower our nurses to a level where they can be equated with the general practice in the health service.In 
extreme cases, of course, patients can always be referred to bigger and more advanced institutions.

The most important aspect about primary health care system is that it is cheaper to implement, more accessible and affordable.With the 
shortage of doctors this also means that the services rendered by the doctors are going to be more focused or even specialized.

Our philosophy of Primary Health Care can never be functional unless the very buildings we keep on erecting are fully equipped and 
accessible. Water, electricity, roads and communication infrastructure, staffing and all the necessary equipment are a basic condition for 
the functioning of these clinics. There are many clinics in this region, which do not have electricity, or water and some are not 
accessible. As a result of this most of our programmes have not met the required standards.

As part of the governments efforts to ensure that such essentials are available we have brought in all the relevant stakeholders. We are 
busy negotiating with the Department of Public Works and also Water Affairs so that water and roads are in good order. Apart from this 
initiative the Independent Development Trust has also approached us. They are giving us money so that our rural clinics can be electrified. 
There are also are companies like Goldfields who are making their resources available to us.

We are also investigating measures to provide monetary incentives to all health workers working in rural areas. In fact I have made it a 
point that this is going to start in this Financial Year. The affected personnel must be patient. I have their circumstances at heart.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me make something clear. When it was said the people from where the project is situated should be considered 
first when job opportunities come, it was not a mistake. Given the financial constraints in the Province at this stage it is impossible to 
employ new people. What the government is doing is to identify qualified personnel and redeploy them to the clinics.

The realities out there are, to say the least, most astonishing. As an example, if one looks at the Health priorities of the metropolitan 
areas of the East London and PE, the concerns are with highly specialised equipment such as CT scanners being switched off, etc. within the 
very same province, Bambisana in Lusikisiki or Greenville in Bizana the concern is with providing electricity of the hospital or the 
building of the out patient department which is non-existent. Currently the Health Department is receiving a lot of negative coverage not 
because we are sitting down and doing nothing, but, that when resources are distributed equally those who have been privileged are feeling 
the pinch. They are trying all the tricks to discredit this government. I want to assure you that as long as I am still heading this 
department I will make sure that those areas that were neglected before receive priority in resource distribution.

The delivery of quality and sustainable health service cannot be achieved by the government acting on its own. The Private Sector has a 
major role to play. The contribution by the private sector should not be seen as just a social responsibility but as an effort to invest in 
the development of our human resources. Sick people cannot contribute in economic growth. Nevertheless, on behalf of the Eastern Cape 
Government I wish express my sincere gratitude to Macro Projects for being sensitive to the needs of this community and responding 
accordingly.

MC it would be wrong for me not to say something about the disease that threatens the survival of human kind. HIV/AIDS started as myth but 
today it is a reality. The initial awareness campaigns focussed on urban areas and in fact they are still more urban biased. The latest 
statistics indicate that more and more rural population is getting affected especially women.

What is particularly disturbing is that the highest rate of infections is between the ages of 17 years and 34 years.(These are our 
children; these are the leaders of tomorrow). When considering this, the following come to mind -:

* reduction in the life expectancy.
* a possibility of a generation gap.
* the impact this will have on human resources.
* the amount of resources that will be used to sustain life.

In view of this the Eastern Cape Government has launched aProvincial Aids Council. The main function is to coordinate HIV/AIDS activities 
and to advise the cabinet on all matters pertaining to management of HIV/AIDS in the Province.

The Council is a multi-sectoral, comprising of government, trade unions, media, faith based organisations, NGOs, business community, 
traditional leaders, etc.

Apart from the council the government is already providing service to both the infected an affected through -

Provision of non-pharmacological therapy in the form of distigmatisation, provision of counselling services, encouraging nutrition 
programmes and physical exercise, encouraging home-based care, etc.

Provision of pharmacological therapy in the form of treatment of opportunistic infections e.g. TB, Pneumonia, etc. the government is also 
researching on other drugs, which are acclaimed to reduce thetransmission of the virus from mother to child.

It should be noted that the availability of a drug does not mean that the problem has been solved. There are certain misconceptions, which 
we have to be cleared.

There is no drug that can cure HIV/AIDS at this moment. This means that the fight against the virus is far from over

The provision of drugs should be measured against the ability of the state coffers to absorb the costs. We are talking of job creation, 
housing, security and other social programmes, which demand a lot of financial injection.

Conclusion

This new millennium must begin with people, united in diversity, determined ever before to shape their destiny. With all this I hope we 
will be able to overcome some of the social evils that threaten our society, e.g. crime, corruption, abuse of any kind, rape, etc. Our next 
100 years must be marked by better life for all with people having jobs and enjoying greater security.

We must enjoy it for it is the last for this generation. It is unthinkable that we can last until the next 100 years, we will all disappear 
whether we like it or not, but when we pass this world we must make sure that we have contributed in unity of diversity.

Thank you

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