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Dear Mr Mahumapelo
I was at the NEHAWU march submitting the memorandum to your office on the 20th of March 2018 and in case you have missed me, I was the one wearing a HOSPERSA T-shirt at the front line holding a placard written 'GREED AND CORRUPTION HAMPERS HEALTH SERVICE'.
Supra Mahumapelo and Dr Lekalakala, your greed and corruption have failed clinical associates in your province. By that I mean you failed our poorest people in rural areas.
I have listened to some of your comments when you came to the public and I am interested in one in particular: the issue where you mentioned that whatever you where trying to achieve was with the good intentions to improve the situation in rural regions found in the North West province.
I am very angry that you had to mention such a thing of improving the rural areas. Because if had you had good intentions you would know of the existence of clinical associates, you would have engaged more with the provincial leaders who represent clinical associates and these clinical associates would not be experiencing such challenges in your province.
Let me also give you a free lesson. Clinical associate is a relatively new profession that was implemented by the national Department of Health in 2008 to address the shortage of doctors in the country, particularly in rural areas where the need is most urgent.
Clinical associates are diagnosing and treating patients in the same manner and most levels than the typical medical doctor would do on daily basis. The first group of clinical associates started working in 2011, but I assure you that the public and most staff, including you, do not know of the existence of this mid-level health care cadre.
I am including you because you never even mentioned that these professionals exist for the good intentions of improving the situation in rural areas.
I will not forget to mention that the NW department of health has stopped issuing bursaries for clinical associates. This means Dr Lekalakala obviously knows about it and I wonder where are you in such destructive decisions. If you had good intentions the part of that R160m would have been used in bursaries for clinical associates and also to create posts for them as there a quite a number of unemployed clinical associates.
They are sitting at home with their degrees while there is a serious shortages of medical doctors in rural areas. And those who are working are being exploited by the Department of Health.
I wish you all the best for your future.
Kind regards
Fana
