Duration: 3min 42 sec

Transcript

THANDEKA: Ukufumaneka kogqirha yonke imihla kule kliniki noncedo lwabancedisi boluntu luye lwaphungula ugxalathelwano lwezigulane utsho ummongukazi Rossouw. Ngoku izigulane ziyakwazi ukubonana nogqrirha wamazinyo, owengqondo, owamehlo kwlapha kule kliniki nezaziinkonzo ezazingekho ngaphambili .

 Translation:The fact that there’€™s always a doctor available in the clinic with assistance from the community service staff has resulted in an improvement in the backlog of patients says Sister Rossouw. Now, patients can also see a dentist, a psychologist and an eye care specialist within the clinic. In the past these services were not available.

SISTER ROSSOUW: At the clinic for the past ten years things have changed quite drastically from preventative care to primary health care. From seeing from 11 to 12 patients my first years here, now I’€™m seeing up 80 patients some days but on average 40 to 50 patients a day. The service that we provide has changed drastically.

Translation: Apha kule kliniki kubekho inguqu emandla kule minyaka ilishumi idlulileyo kwimiba ejongene nonyango loluntu.

Ndandisakubona malunga nezigulane ezi-11 ukuya kwi-12 kwiminyaka yokuqala kwam ukusebenza apha kodwa ngoku ndibona ngezinye intsuku malunga nama-80 ezigulane kodwa ubuncinane ndibona malunga nabantu abangama 40 ukuya kuma-50 ezigulane ngosuku. Kuguquke neenkonzo esizinikezelayo.

THANDEKA: Ummongikazi Rossouw ubabaza isifo sephepha njengonqontsoqa ophala phambili kwizigulo ezikhoyo kulendawo. Uthi babona malunga nabantu abanga mashumi amabini anesine ‘€“24 ngemini abanesisifo ebala nezinye zonke zixhomekeke kumaxesha onyaka neminyaka.

Translation: Sister Rossouw singles out TB as the most challenging ailment in this town. She says she sees about 24 TB patients a day. Some illnesses depend on the season or the age of the patient.

SISTER ROSSOUW: Depending on the season, with children you can have at the beginning of summer season lots of diarrhea in children under five. Generally we’€™ve got lots of TB, which is quite high. You can have up to eleven patients in one house. Then we’€™ve got lots of high blood pressure, diabetes is gaining. We’€™ve got lots of skin conditions, which is attributed to allergies. It’€™s a very high area for allergies with the flowers and sand and everything we’€™ve got so there’€™s a lot of skin conditions and asthma.

Translation: Kuxhomekeka kwixesha lonyaka i-season apha ebantwaneni ekuqaleni kweHlobo kuye kubekho isifo sorhudo kubantwana abangaphantsi kwiminyaka emihlanu. Nje, isifo sephephe sizenzelitheko kuba sesona sixhomileyo halapho ungafumana ukuya kubantu abalishumi elinanye ‘€“11kumzi ngamnye wabantu abanesi sifo. Kukho nesifo se high high, ihigh blood pressure nese swekile siyenyuka. Sikwafumana nezifo zolusu neyinto ebangela usuleleko ngenxa yeentyantyambo ne santi nethi ibe nugnobangela wesifo sesifuba i-asthma.

THANDEKA: Isifo sephepha siyanyangeka. Ingaba ke sisiphi esona sizathu esibangela ukuba abantu babe baxhatshazwa sisifo sephepha?

Translation: TB is curable. What could be the reason that people in Garies still has the highest rate of TB prevalence?

SISTER ROSSOUW: I think it is unemployment and poor housing. People have very low incomes and because of that you’€™ve got a drinking problem which when you have TB and your resistance is low you just get infected over and over again.

Translation: Intswelo msebenzi nezindlu ezingekho semgangathweni ezo zezinye zezinto ebezibangela ingxaki. Kodwa ngoku ingxaki yezindlu ivelelwe izinto ziba ngcono. Imirholo emincinane yenye yezitno ezibangela ukuba abantu banxile neyinto eyingxaki xa unesifo sephepha xa uphinde ube nempilo enkenenkene. Uphinde uqale apho ubuyeke khona ukugula.

THANDEKA: Iinkonzo zoluntu ezinikezelwa ngabafundi kubu gqirha nabanye abantu abasebenzi abaqeqeshelwa imisebenzi yezempilo neyaqulunqwa liSebe lezeMpilo liyanceda kwiindawo ezifana neGaries.

Translation: Community Service offered by medical students and other health professionals and recently introduced by the Department of Health is helping in places like Garies.

SISTER ROSSOUW: I feel very good because to do something on your own and not having people to back you up is not nice. With the physiotherapists we’€™ve got now, occupational therapists we’€™ve got now in Springbok and the extra doctors that we’€™ve got, it makes our work easier. Before you feel you have tried everything on your own but you can’€™t stretch yourself that far. We’€™ve got a physiotherapist, which is of great help here because back problems and falls are quiet common. The work that people have done over the years has caused them chronic back problems, chronic neck problems all kinds of problems. We’€™ve got the eye services coming in here from Kimberley. Many people have access to eye care. We’€™ve got the dentist regularly from Springbok and previously we didn’€™t know what to do to people with teeth problems but now it’€™s very easy because it’€™s free access as well.

Translation: Ndiziva kamnandi kuba xa usebenza wedwa ungenabantu abakuncedisayo akubimnandi. Ngoku sinabantu abajongene nolwalulo lwemizimba, abantu abajongene namazinyo, oogqirha abongeziweyo lonto iwenza ube lula umsebenzi wethu. Ngaphambili ubunokuziva udangele ungakwazi ukuzonwaya ukuyaphi. Sinaye umluli mathambo nomzimba neyinto eluncedo kakhulu kuba abantu abnengxaki zemiqolo bayancedakala. Sinalo icandelo lamehlo neliphuma eKimberley. Abantu abaninzi bafumana uncedo lwamehlo kuba abantu baqobakala kwimisebenzi yabo bebeyenenza kwiminyaka engaphambili. Sinaye nogqirha wamazinyo ofika rhoqo esuka eSpringbok kanti ke ngaphambili besingayazi ukuba sibathini abantu abanengxaki yamazinyo ukanti le nkonzo yeya fele fele.

THANDEKA: Ezinye zeengxaki ezidl’€™umzi KwiPhondo LoMtla Koloni, yimigama emide ekufuneka abantu bayihambe xa bethunyelwa kwizibhedlele ezikhulu. Izibhedlele eziseKimberley, Upington, Springbok neBloemfontein zezinye ezithi zamnkele izigulane eziphuma kwidolophana ezincinane. Ukanti nezithuthi zezigulane zinqongophele kuba izigulane zilinda ithuba elide ukuya kwii yure ezintathu zimele iiambulance neyinto esengumceli mngeni kwiphono LoMntla Ntshona.

Translation: The common problem in some of the clinics and hospitals in the Northern Cape is the referral system of patients from local clinics or hospitals to referral hospitals. Kimberley, Upington, Springbok or Bloemfontein  are big towns where patients get referred to which are hundreds kilometers away from those clinics or hospitals.

Ambulances are also a problem because patients wait for up three hours to get an ambulance and still have to travel long distances to get to the hospitals. These are some of the challenges that are facing the health system in the Northern Cape that still has to be addressed.

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