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PPM plays crucial role in upgrading health facilities

EVERY goal that the PPM has sought to achieve - from recruiting health workers to opening clinics - has had to be done within a core criteria which was determined at the beginning of the partnership.

EVERY goal that the PPM has sought to achieve - from recruiting health workers to opening clinics - has had to be done within a core criteria which was determined at the beginning of the partnership.

This criteria was:

l Participation of each of the partners;

l Alignment with government systems;

l Coordination among the partners and service providers;

l Harmonisation to improve efficiencies within the health system; and

l Accountability using a measurement and evaluation framework.

The PPM also had to work within the framework of a human scale approach, aimed at meeting individual needs. Part of this approach has involved building capacity within government services to strengthen health systems.

Any health employees recruited to work on the PPM - including pharmacists, medical staff and counsellors - become government employees after a year.

This enables capacity building for government as well as the sustainability of service provision.

By October 2009 the PPM had achieved the following:

l Opened or helped with the upgrade of four hospitals and six clinics, to certification standards that enabled the provision of anti-retrovirals. This includes opening a pharmacy. All of the clinics are open to both residents of the community and our employees.

l By August 2009 we had employed 35 health workers, who included two pharmacists, five medical officers, 13 nurses as well as counsellors and community outreach workers.

l To support the PPM, we have employed technical consultants, project and programme managers, training and development specialists, a monitoring and evaluation team, as well as administrative and support staff.

l Our Breyten Clinic is supported by additional services and activities for children. This includes micro-enterprises to support women by giving them a means to an income and a garden to encourage people to be self-sustainable.

l Outreach workers have become core to the PPM. These are trained staff who are community based. They educate and encourage people to go for HIV testing by going door to door in all the communities we have targeted. A number of nurses also support the outreach teams.

l Clinics that have been supported through our PPM with staff and infrastructure are Ubuhle Bempilo Clinic in Breyten, Ermelo Wellness Clinic, Ermelo Hospital, NM Cindi Clinic, Witbank Hospital pharmaceutical services (including a pharmacy), Phola Community Health Centre, Ogies/Delmas Wellness Clinic, Bernice Samuel Hospital, Siphosensimbi Community Health Centre and the Hlalanikahle Community Health Centre, both in KwaGuqa, and the Rietspruit Clinic.

lThe number of people attending clinics and supported by Xstrata Coal in the one year that the PPM has been in operation is 14000.

l The number of health workers employed because of the PPM is 35. These include medical officers, nurses, pharmacists and a pharmacist assistant.

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