MEC visits villages

SELEKA – Member of the Executive Council (MEC) of Health in Limpopo, Phophi Ramathuba, had a full schedule when she visited the Seleka area on Tuesday.
Ramathuba attended the opening of two rural roads by the Lephalale municipality.
Lawrence Tlhako, infrastructure manager at the municipality, said that the roads were completed despite challenges experienced with the location of the roads. “One of the roads is located in an area where a large amount of water flows when it rains and we had to make accommodation of this water to be properly channeled.”
The minister also visited two families in the area to hand over some groceries and enquire about the level of health care received from Witpoort hospital. “During my visit I found that the municipality is doing their part by providing water, electricity and infrastructure to these villages, but I am concerned with the health care provided.”
Ramathuba’s concerns were justified by a visit to Maria Mabula and her 14-year-old mentally disabled son. Mabula indicated that she struggled to provide adequate nutrition for her son. “If the hospital had an integrated structure consisting of social workers, physiotherapists, doctors and other experts they would have picked up that the family was having a difficult time and measures could be put into place to assist them,” Ramathuba said, adding that Witpoort hospital should liaise with hospitals who already have an integrated system in place in order to rectify the situation.
During the imbizo held on the same day Ramathuba introduced new grape- and vanilla flavoured condoms designed by the department of health. “We received complaints about the smell and taste of the old condoms and in an effort to minimize the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases we decided to introduce a condom that people would be more inclined to use.”