As the festive season winds sweep across the country, local health authorities are leaving nothing to chance.
They have appealed to all chronic patients to collect their medication before heading for holidays and put their health first. They are also appealing to patients to take their medication regularly.
In a statement, the Western Cape Department of Health advised patients to visit their nearest collection sites ahead of the festive season and to ensure they have sufficient chronic medication.
The department described the regular intake of treatment as crucial for any patient’s health.
“The good news is that patients with stable chronic conditions don’t have to wait in queues to collect their medication. The Western Cape has several innovations in place to make it easier and quicker for patients to collect their medication at their convenience by pre-packing the medication in advance and delivering it closer to our client’s homes,” reads the statement.
The department said through its Chronic Dispensing Unit (CDU) they have prepacked and issued more than 4,5million medication parcels to 390 000 chronic patients this year.
The statement continues that the department anticipates another 400 000 parcels to be delivered to their clients during December.
“The CDU is an innovation in itself which has enabled further innovations, all intended to make getting medication to clients easier, quicker and more convenient,” reads the statement.
Mzanywa Ndibongo, chair of the Khayelitsha Health Forum (KHF), urged the people to normalise their treatment.
“Health comes first. People must understand that by defaulting they are putting their lives at risk. They must adhere to the doctor’s prescriptions all the time,” he said.
He said the December holidays bring a lot of challenges as people travel across the country to meet friends and relatives. He warned patients to stop sharing their medications and advised those on chronic medication to request referral letters in case of emergency while on holiday.
“There is a tendency for people to share their medications. You’ll find that if someone is coming from Cape Town maybe has a similar chronic illness to the one in Eastern Cape. The one in Eastern Cape will ask for the medication from the one coming from Cape Town as if it is better than his or her in Eastern Cape. They forget that the doctor prescribed you a certain medication based on your illness,” said Ndibongo.
He also urged people to stick to their diets as advised by medical practitioners.
“People are eating everything during the holidays. Sometimes they even forget what the doctor told them to eat or not to eat. And that is dangerous and a person can die for not following the doctor’s order,” said Ndibongo.