Mahikeng-To date, the progress registered includes the establishment of the Municipal ward-based family health teams.
The established and functional number of outreach teams is standing at eleven (11). Hundred and fifteen ((115) community health workers have been trained and the piloting District of Dr. Kenneth Kaunda managed to cover eight (8) wards. Thus far, 15 467 households across the pilot district have been profiled. Chronic disease management has been linked to Primary Health Care (PHC) outreach teams. School Health Services are being revitalized. Vehicles to provide school health services have been received from National Department of Health (NDoH) and are currently being registered.

“We have appointed specialist outreach teams to provide specialist outreach services.They include obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, family medicine and anesthesia” exclaimed MEC Masike during his budget vote.

All health facilities in Dr Kenneth Kaunda are approved for Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) initiation.
Doctor support to clinics has been stepped up to twice a week in order to build confidence of nursing staff in initiating ART.

Capacity building for NHI has been prioritized. To this effect, all members of the District Management Team (DMT) have been trained on procurement matters.
All members of DMT have been trained in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) by North West University.
All Sub district managers have been registered for Executive Development Programme and Oliver Tambo Fellowship. Furthermore, PHC teams have been trained on PHC Re-engineering Programme.
Capacity has therefore been built progressively at facility management level for further decentralising control in view of NHI requirement. The aim is to make all clinics as cost centres before the end of 2013-14 financial year.

“We will continue to improve training on nursing, EMRS and medical care to strengthen PHC and health care service delivery towards a well functioning NHI” said the MEC.

Two training workshops on leadership and supervision have been conducted while one information sharing session with sub-district management was conducted and supported by BroadReach.
The Health System Trust (HST) continues to provide support.

“Phase 1 orientation and basic foundation was conducted for 1500 CHWs and 80 nurses. We conducted two (2) studies on readiness assessment and one (1) on competency assessment of managers in PHC” MEC said.

Professional Nurses will be assigned according to availability.
Facilities with low caseloads will be targeted. Where there is gross shortage of nurses, retired nurses will be appointed to support outreach teams.
“We will also go ahead with contracting-in of General Practitioners” said the MEC.

The piloting District of Dr. Kenneth Kaunda has also formed a collaboration with its District Municipality to inform all Communities about NHI. Just recently (last Friday), a workshop on NHI was held with Community based planners from the District Municipality, Ward Committees and Community health workers who will be expected to cascade the information down to communities in their wards.
“This initiative will ensure that information on NHI reaches communities in all corners of the District. It is also envisaged to be extended to other Districts in future” Masike said.
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