Clinic commitee to engage with residents

GRAAFF-REINET — The umasizakhe Clinic committee recently held a clinic open day with the theme; # Be Bold For Change.

The patients and the attendants who had accompanied their families and children to the clinic, shared information around patients' rights and responsibilities and also about the clinic committee functions and responsibilities.

The clinic committee's mandate is to act in the best interest of the clinic and the community it serves.

The committee consists of Emily Swartbooi, Agnes Matomela, Reuben Thanda, Thandeka Majoka (official), Pauline Ngoqo (official), Shirley Baadjies (vice-chairperson), Cathleen Nwatcha (secretary) and Grace Skepe as chairperson.

The duties of the committee

• The advocacy role of the committee is to assist in ensuring that communities are informed about their health rights and responsibilities and to ensure an ongoing effective communication between the clinic management and the communities.

• To provide a platform for patients and community to air their grievancies by following the departmental complaints procedures.

• The main function of the clinic committee is the oversight role - to oversee the provision of the primary health care package and adherence to the general norms and standards of a primary health care facility.

• To monitor and report the extent of the performance by the health facility as far as achieving the health indicators and health targets , set by receiving regular reports from the facility manager.

• To monitor the provision of quality health services as described by the health standards which provide a benchmark against which clinics assessed, gaps identified and strengths appraised.

To assist in ensuring that communities in the catchment areas are informed about their health rights and responsibilities.

• They have to socially mobilize and sensitize communities about the presence, activities and programmes of the clinic or community health centres and the departmental initiative that are geared towards the implementation of primary health care services to air their grievancies by following the departmental complaints procedure.

• To facilitate community heath meetings for the purpose of giving feedback and taking mandates from the community.

• To provide a platform for patients and the community

• The committees cannot interfere with the executive duties of the facility manager.