A passion for primary healthcare has always driven Amahlathi health sub-district manager, Mzikazi Vivian Mdladlana-Nteyi, past the challenges she has experienced over the past two decades.
Affectionately known as Zikie, 57-year-old Nteyi has been recognised in the province and nationally for her sterling work in primary healthcare within her district.
Nteyi, who qualified as a nurse and midwife, also has nursing education, public administration and leadership qualifications.
Primary healthcare is the cornerstone of government’s proposed National Health Insurance scheme.
A well-run primary healthcare system diminishes the number of patients piling up at local hospitals and manages the disease burden. Health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said: “The department is currently working on revitalising primary healthcare.
“We want to focus on disease prevention rather than the current expensive cure or treatment-based approach.
“It is good to have efficient and innovative sub-district managers such as Nteyi, as well as her team of managers and committed nurses.”
Nteyi oversees 60 facilities in three municipalities; Great Kei, Amahlathi and Peddie.
“We are a district that when a policy is set, we are interested in seeing it happen.
“Most of the programmes start in Amahlathi,” she said.
Nteyi also boasts about the quality of their facilities.
Though the facilities may not all be structurally strong, she said the personnel are properly trained and there are no drug shortages or issues with equipment.
Nteyi believes that if one cannot get the resources needed by going through the proper channels, then one needs to be creative regarding how to bring services to the people.
When the extra municipalities were added to her district, Nteyi said she needed extra personnel but the department did not budget to province for them.
What she had wanted was more supervisors for the clinics in her district. At the time there were six supervisors overseeing nine clinics each. q
“So I decided to make everyone in my team supervisors, giving them four to five clinics each,” she said.
This meant that her six project managers began to function as supervisors, without a supervisors’s salary but gaining the experience.
The supervisors meet regularly to share best practices observed in their clinics to help strengthen the weaker facilities, she said. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za
Manager praised for revitalising clinics
Affectionately known as Zikie, 57-year-old Nteyi has been recognised in the province and nationally for her sterling work in primary healthcare within her district.
Nteyi, who qualified as a nurse and midwife, also has nursing education, public administration and leadership qualifications.
Primary healthcare is the cornerstone of government’s proposed National Health Insurance scheme.
A well-run primary healthcare system diminishes the number of patients piling up at local hospitals and manages the disease burden. Health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said: “The department is currently working on revitalising primary healthcare.
“We want to focus on disease prevention rather than the current expensive cure or treatment-based approach.
“It is good to have efficient and innovative sub-district managers such as Nteyi, as well as her team of managers and committed nurses.”
Nteyi oversees 60 facilities in three municipalities; Great Kei, Amahlathi and Peddie.
“We are a district that when a policy is set, we are interested in seeing it happen.
“Most of the programmes start in Amahlathi,” she said.
Nteyi also boasts about the quality of their facilities.
Though the facilities may not all be structurally strong, she said the personnel are properly trained and there are no drug shortages or issues with equipment.
Nteyi believes that if one cannot get the resources needed by going through the proper channels, then one needs to be creative regarding how to bring services to the people.
When the extra municipalities were added to her district, Nteyi said she needed extra personnel but the department did not budget to province for them.
What she had wanted was more supervisors for the clinics in her district. At the time there were six supervisors overseeing nine clinics each. q
“So I decided to make everyone in my team supervisors, giving them four to five clinics each,” she said.
This meant that her six project managers began to function as supervisors, without a supervisors’s salary but gaining the experience.
The supervisors meet regularly to share best practices observed in their clinics to help strengthen the weaker facilities, she said. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos