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24 Aug 2010

Extended service hours at Gauteng clinics will help decrease long queues and take Gauteng a step closer towards its goal of providing better healthcare for all.

Addressing the provincial legislature on Tuesday on the province's performance in the first quarter of the 2010/11 financial year, Premier Nomvula Mokonyane said:

"We have extended service hours in seven more clinics in the Johannesburg district, bringing the total number of clinics with extended service hours to 84.

"Two more clinics, Chiawelo and Zola are set to open 24 hours during the second quarter of 2010/11 financial year, while Sharpeville and Eesterus Community Health centres are expected to open for 24 hours in the last quarter".

In addition, more health workers are being trained in peri-natal care on ongoing basis to ensure that they have skills to perform deliveries and neonatal resuscitation.

"Early booking and initiation of irregular ante-natal care is encouraged to help prevent immaturity-related problems and pre-term labour.

"Currently, only 25 percent of expectant mothers book before 20 weeks of pregnancy. This percentage has to improve if we are to succeed in saving the lives of premature babies," she said.

Furthermore, the HIV and AIDS campaign continues to gain momentum with more people responding to the call to test for HIV.

"Since 1 April 2010 up to the beginning of August 2010, more than 500 000 people have taken the HIV test. While we are happy with this figure, we will be stepping up the campaign to get more people to test so that we meet our target of three million people by the end of June 2011".

Premier Mokonyane said the campaign would be intensified at shopping malls, public events, taxi ranks, hostels and other public places.

Source: Gauteng Provincial Government

Issued by: Gauteng Office of the Premier
24 Aug 2010

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