13 Sep 2017

The Gabane Community Home Based Care (GCHBC) recently celebrated 20 years of voluntarily servicing the community.

The non-governmental organisation was established in 1997 in response to the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS which resulted in many patients bedridden and many leaving orphans as a result of the disease.

Deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr Haruna Jibril commended the centre for the millstone, saying the GCHBC story was an example of partnership in service provision.

“We have consistently maintained that health is not the prerogative of the Ministry of Health and Wellness alone.”

Dr Jibril said individuals, the community and organisations have to take care of their health to complement government efforts.

He said community based care was based on eight components of community mobilisation, community support through sustainable income generating activities, training of community health workers, client identification, monitoring and evaluation.

He said it was important for community based organisations to transform from where their primary goals were to where the majority of people living with HIV almost lived normal lives.

He said community home based care organisations must carve a niche and transform in order to remain relevant in their communities.

He stated that government has repeatedly expressed concern when it comes to accountability on the part of community organisations, but said GCHBC was an exception.

“You strong management and leadership has grown from strength to strength and is a testimony of your institutionalised progressive governance structure,” he added.

Furthermore, he said there were emerging epidemics of non-communicable diseases which were killing more people than HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria combined.
 Gabane home based care coordinator, Ms Boitumelo Leburu said the centre was started in response to the government’s call for community members, churches and other organisations to help with interventions as a result of the HIV/AIDS scourge.

She noted that the centre was started by members of different churches from the village, adding that other than offering home based care support, they have also built five houses for orphans.

However, she noted that they faced challenges such as lack of transport, funding and lack of trained staff.

Kgosi Sello Pule of Gabane said the home based care has played a huge different in community health through their interventions.

Kgosi Pule said the organisation’s intervention were handy as not all were able to always be there for their patients hence it has became the backbone of care giving.
The 20 years celebrations was held under the theme: Investing in the future. Ends