11 May 2014

Majority of people are still reluctant to visit health facilities to do routine check-ups, screening for various diseases, prevention messages as well as to get information about health issues.

Tebelopele Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre's (TVCT) south regional manager, Mr Rapelang Monnaatlala said this in a recent interview. “A lot of people have a belief that health practitioners are contacted for assistance when they are ill,” he said. 

He said TVCT Tsabong recently took its services to Boravast catchment area and Khawa to carry out TB screening, prevention messages, supportive counselling to HIV-positive patients and educative messages on Pap Smear.

He said they tested more than 200 clients, which was a good number considering that Bokspits, Rapplespan, Vaalhoek and Struizendam were small populated areas. 

“We managed to identify first time testers, and with HIV positive clients we provided supportive counselling such as acceptance and disclosure,” he said.

Mr Monnaatlala said with the excitement behind the Khawa Dune Challenge they did not record as many testers, saying “people concentrated more on the activities that took place, and some who came were not in the proper mindsets with some intoxicated”.

He said despite that he believed with time the positive will come out of mobile services, saying even when some hesitate to get help from them they will eventually visit health facilities.

 I also believe those that went through the testing and screening will spread the message, and that is our wish that with mindset change our country will achieve a healthy nation by 2016. Ends