In a bid to improve primary health services on the West Rand, the Gauteng Department of Health has outsourced specialists from overseas.
The department has appointed 25 Cuban medical specialists, three of whom have been allocated to West Rand District Health services. Two of these specialists will assist in Westonaria and Randfontein. They will be placed in various medical centres and will rotate according to the needs of the community.
“I am proud to welcome these specialists into the district. They are expected to help reduce the maternal mortality rate in the district, and to complement the work that is being done by the South African doctors and nurses,” said Puleng Muso, the director of West Rand District Health Services.
The Cuban specialists will work in the district’s facilities for the next three years, providing comprehensive medical services for residents of the area.
Dr Efren Denis Fernandez, one of the Cuban specialists said, “We came to this district to make a difference in the primary health care service, which is the entry point for the majority of impoverished people who cannot afford private services.”
The department’s human resources division has already started an induction phase, which will take no longer than a month.
“So far we feel at home. Weather conditions are a challenge, but we will adjust as time goes on. Staff members at the clinics and community members that we have met with demonstrated the element of companionship,” said Dr Diamela Mojena Polanco.
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