Dear East Coast Friends
Things
are moving on both the small and the big level.
Starting
big – tomorrow the Eastern Cape Health Crisis Coalition will be addressing the
Parliament Portfolio Committee of Health. The Committee had already called our
Health minister and Dr Mbengashe (the new HOD of Health in our province) to
come and report following the Death and Dying publication that was released by
Section 27 on the day of the March. At that meeting one of the committee
members actually called for the MEC to be fired. It is a slim chance that we
are actually going to get rid of the MEC but getting parliament involved will
help strengthen the Coalition’s cause and hopefully motivate Dr Mbengashe to
address our concerns. The coalition now has over 20 member organisations, with
the Keiskammahoek Trust being the most recent one to join.
And
on a local level. We had given our resolutions for health care access in ward 6
to our ward councillor, who presented our case to Mr Mali, who carries the
Portfolio of Health for the Great Kei Municipality. He has given our report to
Mr Lusasa, the Buffalo City subdistrict manager and Counsellor Billie, from the
regional District Health Council. The most urgent issues around ward 6 –
particularly mobile clinics, the health post handover and ambulance access will
be on the agenda of the next District Council Meeting on the 22nd of
November 2013 and Mr Mali will represent us at that meeting. I have sent a
summary of our issues for their agenda to Counsellor Billie. They will be
discussing the handover of health services from Buffalo City Metro to Amahlati
and I am therefore very pleased that the issue of Ward 6, and particularly
Chintsa, will be covered at that meeting. The slow, bureaucratic process has
begun….
Remember
to spread the word about how to get in contact with the ECHCAC and stay
informed about our work:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EChealthcrisis (please
like the page!)
Website
www.echealthcrisis.org (please sign the memorandum!)
Phone:
Kwazi Mbatha: 0780599309 or Anele Yawa: 073 555 8849
Email: echealthcrisis@rhap.org.za
Madeleine Muller
RuDASA National Secretary
Inspiring others to Rural Health
Tel: 0741028137
Catch up on all the health crisis stories in the posts below!
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