The MEC for Health in the North West Province, Dr Magome Masike made unannounced visits to assess the level of health services delivery in clinics around the Ratlou Local Municipality. The clinics visited include Tshidilamolomo, Khunwana and Disaneng.

It is during these visits that the MEC was impressed with the progress that is being made as a result of the implementation of the Ideal Clinic Model. The Ideal Clinic Realisation Programme/Project (ICRP) in the Department of Health is informed by the transformation of the National Health system after the first democratic elections.

This ideal clinic model suggests that, as a starting with an Ideal clinic; a clinic that ensures the provision of quality health services to the community through: Good infrastructure; Adequate staff; Adequate medicine and supplies; Adequate bulk supplies; Good administrative processes; Use of applicable policies, protocols, guidelines pertaining to diagnoses and treatment; Leveraging partner and stakeholder support as well as Cooperation with other government departments as well as with the private sector and non-governmental organizations to address the social determinants of health.

The visited facilities were found to be doing exceptionally well towards achieving these important indicators for ideal clinic.

Impressed MEC Masike said that, “ideal clinic model is about ensuring uniformity of services and standards across all health facilities in the Province. We are working towards ensuring that all our clinics look the same and offer the same level of quality health service”.

What impressed me the most is finding that the queues in these clinics that I visited have declined drastically. I believe that this is largely because in our Province we have introduced the delivery of chronic medicines to the homes of our patients. We realised that the scourge of chronic illnesses like TB, HIV, Hypertension and Diabetes are responsible for long queues in our facilities. I must say the introduction of transporting medication to the homes of patients is already making a huge difference”, said MEC Masike

The MEC has however observed that there are still some clinics in the Province that are still over crowded. The Department believes once the delivery of chronic medicines to the homes of our patients is rolled out to all clinics it will address the long standing problem of overcrowding and long queues in health facilities.

Issued by North West Health