“We are very grateful to have an additional member in our team because we have been struggling to help our patients in time,’€ said Caroline Xihundla, a sister at Matavhela Clinic. ‘€œWe serve eight villages and there was just four of us, but now I think it will be much easier for us and the patients, because we have an extra member.”

Patients at the clinic see this as an encouraging sign that more nurses may be brought to their clinic. “I’€™m very happy that our problems are being attended to, because we have been asking for more nurses so that the service could be better. With this extra member, it gives me hope that many will still be brought in, and I hope this will be done this year (2013),” said Mbudziso Makhado from Ngalavhani village.

Another patient from Helula village, Rakhadani Ndivhuwo, said: “Today I feel very happy because I was served here at the clinic. I think if we get more nurses we will never get sent back home without being helped. I hope the district is planning to give us more nurses.’€

Mashudu Nekhavhambe, a junior staff member at Matavhela clinic said the extra pair of hands will benefit both staff and patients. “I feel relieved now that we have an additional member on the team. Now we can have some time to rest knowing that someone is helping our patients, and I am happy that we will no longer send patients back home without treatment because we have more hands to help them. Even though one member is not enough, this will help us a lot and we thank the district for that,” Nekhavhambe said.

The new nurse, Edzisani Tshikunde, said she was very happy to join the team at Matavhela Clinic. “I am very honoured to be working at Matavhela clinic again – many people don’t know this but I’m coming here for the second time. I feel grateful that I will be helping my colleagues at this time,” she added.

Suprise Nemalale is an OurHealth Citizen Journalist reporting from the Vhembe health district in Limpopo.