16 July 2022

AN exciting and innovative community-based primary healthcare programme has left scores of needy rural residents satisfied - with a whopping 57 men and boys circumcised in one day.

The latest instalment of "Isibhedlela Kubantu" programme, held at the Belgrade Sports field in Pongola yesterday, was a sight to behold as it attended to the healthcare needs of almost 300 community members yesterday.

With rows of mobile health units parked in horseshoe formation KZN, offering a wide range of health services, KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane was also on hand to address the hundreds of young people who had gathered.

They had come to hear more about the benefits of the HIV-protection pill known as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and how they can contribute to the creation of an HIV-Free Generation.

MEC Simelane started the programme by visiting local homes with a team of medical officials in tow. They vaccinated eligible people against COVID - 19 and educated them about different ailments.

In keeping with the objective of the programme, the day's statistics read like the register of a clinic.

Overall, 289 people were attended in just a few hours, with 279 screened for TB. A dozen (12) patients were screened for Prostate Cancer; 54 underwent a Pap smear (to test for cervical cancer), while four were initiated on the HIV-protection pill known as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.

No fewer than 63 patients were seen by a medical officer (doctor), while 182 were attended to by professional nurses, with 40 being seen by a physiotherapist. At least 188 patients were checked up by an optometrist, with eight receiving glasses. A number of geriatrics received walking sticks, while five women were initiated on birth control. Ten other people had their teeth extracted. Twenty-seven were vaccinated against COVID - 19, while one tested positive for HIV/-AIDS and was counseled and initiated on Anti-Retroviral Treatment. A further 21 patients were referred to hospital. Reflecting on events of the day, MEC Simelane said: "We are extremely pleased to have brought these services to the local community. This is what Primary Healthcare is about. We want to encourage people to prevent diseases and get used to the idea of getting screened and tested for diseases, so that they can be picked up early, making it easier for them to be treated or managed. We are very happy with the turnout, especially because all of these are patients who would have ordinarily had to walk a long distance to visit healthcare facilities, but they are here and happy to receive medical attention right on their doorstep."

ENDS