Asivikelane Health Workshop Brings Needed Insight to BCMM Clinic Committees

In an effort to give an in-depth understanding of the #AsivikelaneHealth (AH) programme, provide training on the health policy that governs #clinic committees in the Eastern Cape, strengthen relations, and address bottlenecks, the Small Project Foundation (SPF) recently hosted a two-day workshop with clinical committee members from 25 #health facilities across Buffalo City Municipality (BCMM).

SPF project coordinator, Nomfundiso Joseph, described the #training as efforts to link the facilities and #AsivikelaneHealth and ensure that clinic committees are aware of #AsivikelaneHealth and what it does.

“The workshop aimed to inform the clinic committees about what SPF does through the #Asivikelane programme. The Department of Health, facility managers, and other stakeholders which include community leaders, ward counsellors, community health workers (CHWs), the clinical committees and the community at large make this project a success and therefore it is important that we equip them,” Joseph added.

#AsivikelaneHealth, an initiative by the International Budget Partnership South Africa (IBPSA), is a programme that helps monitor healthcare services at clinics. Through SPF, the programme has enrolled 45 facilities in the Eastern Cape, 25 in BCMM, 10 in OR Tambo District and 10 in Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (NMMM).

#Clinic service performance is measured through observations made on opening times, waiting area cleanliness, waiting times, staff shortages, facility safety, availability of medication and young people’s happy hour.

Themba Mraji, a committee member at Mdantsane NU 16 Clinic excitedly shared how the #training was quite insightful as it served as an induction they never had. Mraji was elated to finally learn what was expected of clinic committees as some had no understanding of the responsibilities they were taking on when they were elected by the community. “The #Asivikelane clinic committee training helped shed some light for all of us and I believe everyone who attended was extremely grateful they heeded the call,” Mraji added.