22 May 2018

Government is trying its best to provide medical services but people only seek assistance when their health condition is dire, says Zoroga’s Kgosi Thomas Modiro.

Speaking during a fitness walk and health education programme held under the theme: Your health your responsibility on Friday, he said early treatment prevented diseases from spreading and conditions of patients from worsening.

He said delaying to consult medical personnel had consequences including the spreading of infections and other diseases in the body.

He lamented that people continued to die from curable infections because they failed to seek medical assistance in time.

Kgosi Modiro said it was important to act immediately when one noticed something unusual in their bodies.

He said people’s beliefs should not deter them from getting medical attention at health facilities where they would be examined to determine the extent of the illness and treatment given.

He encouraged spouses to support each other and go for consultation together in the event one contracted an infection, adding that keeping secrets could only worsen the situation.

Gweta Primary Hospital principal nursing officer, Ms Keoagetse Kgwabi said not visiting a health facility when one was sick was a sign of irresponsibility.

She complained that even where people visited hospitals, they failed to follow prescriptions which negatively affected their health.

She said some HIV patients used alcohol to take medication because they were hardly ever home where they could access water, warning that as a drug itself, alcohol would make the treatment ineffective.

Another type of irresponsible behaviour, she said, was where girls accepted offers of alcohol from men in exchange for sexual intercourse.

Ms Kgwabi encouraged men to undergo circumcision to reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

She said being heathy meant being physically and mentally fit. Ends