The Department of Health has embarked on a national campaign to immunise children, but nurses and officials at clinics in the Grahamstown district say they do not know anything about it.
The Department of Health has embarked on a national campaign to immunise children, but nurses and officials at clinics in the Grahamstown district say they do not know anything about it.
The campaign was initiated by the department to reduce diseases that increase child mortality, such as polio and whooping cough.
But due to a communication breakdown, Settlers Day Hospital, Joza Clinic and various municipal clinics say that the district office has yet to inform them about the campaign that was initiated last week Monday.
When contacted on Tuesday, a Settlers staff member, who did not want to be named, said that for them it’s business as usual.
She said that they will not implement the campaign until they are given the go ahead from the district office.
In Joza clinic, the managing nurse indicated that even though they do not know about the campaign, child immunisation is an integral part of what they do.
She pointed out that their clinic goes as far as sending drivers to fetch patients at their homes if they do not come for immunisation.
Nol Issacs, the acting assistant director for primary health services at Makana Municipality, said that not all municipality clinics are implementing the campaign as they have not received word from the district office yet.
However, the information manager at the district office, Anton Meyer, said that they cannot give the go ahead for the primary health facilities concerned as they have also not received word from the provincial office.
He added that they are committing themselves to implement the campaign next week should the provincial office contact them.
Meanwhile, the campaign ended last weekend. It aims to educate the public about the benefit of the vaccines available at various health centres.
It will also encourage parents and caregivers to take their children to health facilities for screening their immunisation status as well as offer catch-up vaccinations for all children not fully immunised for their age group.
