GEORGE NEWS - Three mobile clinics that will be used in the Eden District as part of a pilot project aimed at improving primary health care were introduced in George on Monday.

The three buses will be used to visit all primary schools in Eden to screen the health of every Grade R and Grade 1 learner. (Private schools are excluded.) Hearing, eye sight, gross motor ability, weight, height and oral health will be assessed. Where an ailment is identified, the child will be referred to a clinic for treatment.

"The programme also includes health promotion and health education and further activities that address the health needs of the learner," said Western Cape Health Minister Theuns Botha, who attended the event.

Although the mobile clinics will during the 2013/14 financial year be focusing mainly on the screening of pupils, they are equipped to render a variety of health services. The one bus is geared for optometry services, another has a complete dental unit and the third has been adapted for circumcision operations and pap smears, amongst others.

Eden is one of 10 districts in the country that have been selected by the government to each roll out a pilot primary health care project in their community. It forms part of the process of compiling the Green Paper on the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI).
Prof. Craig Househam, Western Cape head of health, said a new phase in primary health care is on the cards for the country and these pilot projects are part of the planning process to determine what kind of services will work. "Eden is the ideal place to test such a project as we already have competent and dedicated people in the system."

Province has allocated R11,5-million for the project. This will be raised to R26,9-million next year. Six professional nurses who were appointed in July last year, will visit the schools. They will be assisted by six care workers from contracted non-profit community organisations that provide home-based care. The project starts officially at the beginning of March.

"It will be expanded over the next few years. Our ultimate goal is to assess every school going child once a year and we hope to have the resources and structures available in the future to make that possible," said Househam.

He noted some minor shortcomings in the design of the mobile clinics, but said part of the piloting process was indeed to determine where improvements are needed to streamline the system.

"This pilot project will also help us in the Western Cape learn more in the development of our wellness programmes for our school children and the broader community to promote healthy lifestyles among citizens."

He said the Western Cape government focuses on improving the population's wellness in order to reduce the cost of continuously addressing disease. Province spends R15-billion, the biggest share of its annual budget, on health care. "There is no such thing as free health care. It is a very expensive service."

'Not unqualified support'
Minister Botha said although the province has taken on the NHI pilot project, it does not indicate that they give unqualified support for the policy document for the NHI.

"The NHI has not yet been tabled formally. It will be the most expensive budget item in the history of the country and will be based on a 26% increase in tax. In countries where national health insurance systems function effectively, 80% of the population pays tax. In South Africa, 5 million out of 55 million people pay tax, and we cannot see such a system working here yet." 


Officials inspected the three new mobile clinics from up close at the launch of the pilot health screening project in schools.

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS: ALIDA DE BEER, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST