MEDIA RELEASEMEDIA RELEASE
Department of Health. North West Province
Tel: (018) 387-5135.     Fax: (018) 387- 5322
 
14 November 2000
 
HEALTH DEPARTMENT STRIVES TO REDUCE MATERNAL DEATHS
 
Strategies such as Safe motherhood initiative are in place in the North West 
Province to reduce maternal deaths. The primary objective of this initiative is 
to curb cases of maternal mortality through appropriate management and to 
improve the quality of maternity services. The maternal death rate has gone down 
since 1998. These facts emerged at the Department of Health's annual Lekgotla ( 
Bosberaad) held in Rusternburg on Monday and Tuesday ( 13 and 14 November 2000).
 
 
A report presented to the Lekgotla indicated that the introduction and 
implementation of the Maternal Death Notification system brought to light the 
number of maternal deaths at health facilities and related causes. It noted that 
while a lot has been achieved in terms of preventing maternal deaths, it is 
still disturbing to note that some mothers are still dying from preventable 
deaths and other factors that indicate sub-standard care. To address this, the 
department will be launching Guidelines on Effective Management of Maternity 
Services during the course of November. The department is confident that this 
will help address the problem of maternal deaths. The guidelines will be 
distributed to all eighteen districts of the Department of Health and intensive 
training awareness workshop will be run to empower health workers to deliver 
quality maternal services. A standardised maternity case sheet will also be 
developed to ensure consistent delivery of maternal services as well as uniform 
quality standards.
 
 
The view of the department is that all women should have access to basic 
maternity care during pregnancy and delivery. The goal is to ultimately provide 
services which offer comprehensive maternal health services. Basic maternity 
care comprises quality antenatal care and safe delivery whether delivery takes 
place at home or in health institution. Efforts are being made to raise 
awareness about the importance of prenatal care attendance and to encourage 
women to seek assistance without delay.
 
 
It is also emerged that equity and access to abortion care services is the 
challenge facing both health service providers and consumers of the service. The 
immediate challenge must be to promote user-friendliness of the service to all 
peoples in the North West Province.
 
 
END
 
 
Issued by            :                       Cornelius Monama
                                                (082 578 4063)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MEDIA RELEASE
Department of Health.  North West Province
Tel: (018) 387-5135. Fax:  (018) 387- 5322
 
 
14 November 2000
 
 
DEPARTMENT REAFFIRMS AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE APPROACH
 
 
The Department of Health in the North West Province recommits itself to continue 
delivering affordable, equitable and quality primary health care services to the 
people of the province. This is according to a report presented to the 
Departmental Lekgotla ( Bosberaad) held in Rusternburg today.
 
The report noted that every person in all the 18 districts of the province is 
able to access health services from professionally trained health are workers. 
The health districts enable families and communities to access health facilities 
and services in a cost-effective manner. This approach is consistent with the 
national health system, which facilitates the provision of a coherent health 
service which is accessible and affordable to all.
 
According to the departmental spokesperson, Cornelius Monama, the underlying 
principle of a primary health care is that all people are entitled to treatment 
whenever they need health care, regardless of their ability to pay. " It also 
means that they cannot be denied their right to treatment when they are sick or 
when they need health information".
 
 
However, the department is also aware that there are still some areas where 
patients are denied their basic health rights. This is especially true where 
health facilities are segregated on the basis of race and color in private 
health facilities in areas such as Ventersdorp and Schweizer-Reneke as well as 
in some state- aided hospitals like Ottosdal and Stella.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TB, Mental Health and Maternal, Child and Women's health programmes were 
identified as some of the key priority programmes within the primary health care 
setting. HIV/AIDS remains priority number one of the department.
 
 
END
 
 
 
Issued by                                  :                       Boipelo 
Mooketsi
                                                                        082 770 
3688
 
For further information contact:                       Cornelius Monama
                                                                        082 578 
4063
 
 
 
 
