CRIMINAL activities at Limpopo health facilities remain a serious challenge.
This is according to the provincial health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba, who led the 100 000 footsteps for Mandela walk against crime at Nzhelele in Makhado on Wednesday.
Ramathuba was joined by hundreds of community members and officials during the 11km walk from Siloam Hospital to Rabali Clinic.
Ramathuba told Daily Sun the initiative also aimed to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday.
“We believe the challenge to achieve a zero crime rate within our health facilities can be won only if community members come on board to fight this challenge.”
She said in the past year, there’s been an increase in the number of attacks in which security guards were disarmed and killed.
She said there have also been several incidents in which nurses were robbed off their belongings.
Ramathuba said about 25 cases of crime have been recorded in the provincial public health facilities since last April.
“Such activities undermine the department’s commitment to maximizing access to healthcare by decreasing the number of clinics which operate for 24 hours,” she said.
She said many health workers feared being on night duty.
“It’s therefore also the community members’ responsibility to rise in defence of their health facilities and personnel.”
The MEC said the attacks on health professionals were attacks on communities.
Ramathuba urged the youth to look after their health and to exercise regularly.
“We believe exercising regularly will not only benefit your health, it will also assist to keep young people off the streets and away them from a life of crime.”
