The winter season is approaching and many young men and woman will be heading to the veld to attend various initiation schools.
The Mpumalanga Department of Health will not be left behind as it will ensure that all processes are followed to ensure that no lives are lost during the initiation season.
Read: Illegal initiation schools must be barred
This will be done in collaboration with the Ingoma Forum in collaborating with the Department of Cooperate Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and other health stakeholders. Acting Premier for the Mpumalanga government, Gillion Mashego as part of his annual plan during the initiation season will be visiting various initiation schools to monitor the provision of health services at the schools.
“Every season, I visit initiation schools to check if the initiates are well looked after. In my previous experience during the visits, I have come across bad situations, where initiates are not provided enough water. In some cases one will find that the initiates have been brought to the schools without their medical status being checked, which leads to fatal illness. Since the year 2014, we have only had six initiates who have passed on during the season. This has taught us a lesson to intensify our medical assistance which we provide as a department”. Said Acting Premier Mashego
During the initiation season, the Department with Ingoma Forum provides the following services.
- Health screening to any health center as this will prevent mortalities and other health related illness that can be triggered during initiation period.
- Provision of health screening which includes TB screening, HIV screening, Diabetic Mellitus, Hypertension and other life style illness.
- Utilization of authorized traditional surgeons that works with local traditional leader/s to avoid bogus initiation school.
- Encouraging all those on chronic medication to continue with their medication during initiation period and utilization of medical practitioners approved by the traditional leaders to provide health services
- Utilization of medical practitioners and health personnel approved by traditional leaders and Ingoma Forum to provide health services where need arise.
Acting Premier Gillion Mashego encourages all stakeholders to continue to work together to ensure that no life is lost during the coming Initiation season. “The role of traditional leaders is central to the success of campaigns to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the communities. As government, we will strengthen our collaboration with the institutions of traditional leadership in all our campaigns to raise awareness, and promote voluntary testing and Counselling” closed Acting Premier Mashego.
