LYDENBURG – On a mission to boost Operation Phakamelimpilo, the Mpumalanga Department of Health visited Lydenburg taxi rank on Friday January 22.Operation Phakamelimpilo seeks to realise the goals of the national development plan.
These are to increase the South Africans’ life expectancy to 70 years by 2030, to have a generation of young people under the age of 20 who are free of HIV and Aids, to significantly reduce the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases and to reduce maternal and child mortality by taking primary health care (PHC) to the public at taxi ranks.
The department identified taxi-rank communities (drivers, owners, commuters and hawkers) as people with limited access to health-care services.
Since the initiative was launched, more than 30 000 people have been reached.
Lydenburg residents attended the initiative that will provide access to primary health care at least once a month.
The mayor of TCM, Selina Mashego, also attended and made use of some of the services.
Duduzile Mdluli said she would like to encourage the public to use the services provided.
“The core business of this department is to bring services closer to the people. In Thaba Chweu Municipality the HIV prevalence rate has increased from 32,2 per cent to 36,4 per cent and that is discouraging,” she said.
“I am not trying to scare you with these figures but instead to let you know that we, as a province, are facing a challenge and we definitely have to join hands and fight it,” she added.
