Health Crisis

Everyone already knows that health and the access to basic health care is one of Africa’s largest problems. South Africa is no different. The HIV/AIDS rates in SA are the highest in the world and is the single largest health crisis in a region already suffering from too many problems.

This morning, we visited the Ngzwanguba Health Center Clinic and the Masibonisani Community Project. It is Sunday here so the clinic is closed but was opened for us to take a look at their facilities. We were accompanied by Zingisa, a young Woman who works at the clinic and of course our fearless guide, Sanele (the picture above is Joe talking to Sanele and Zingisa in the garden outside the clinic). The clinic includes a main center with 2 buildings, and six satellite clinics in the nearby community, each consisting of 2 or three Rondewels usually one being the home of a clinic worker. Patients get treated at the center if there is space and medicine available, but that is not always the case.

What the clinic does not have is a doctor.

There are 13 workers running the clinic and dozens of volunteers working on the few community gardens that are set up on land donated by local farmers. The food from these gardens feed the patients. If there is any food left it goes to the surrounding community, but there is rarely extra food. The clinic has applied to the chief for more land to grow more food.

Most patients are treated for HIV/AIDS and TB. Other ailments are treated as needed and usually consist of the many effects of malnourishment, which is hard to treat at a place with no running water. You read that correctly, this is a health center with no source of clean water. And like I said earlier they have no doctor. They had one last year but his contract ran out in December and was sent back to his hospital 20 kilometers away. That is the nearest hospital that the people of Coffee Bay have to go to. I asked Senele what happens if someone in town breaks a leg. He said “They suffer”.

The clinic needs what all clinics need: Space, medicine, doctors and clean equipment. Here in Coffee Bay, those are all things that are hard to come by. It is only by the hard work of people like Zingisa that anyone gets treated at all.