The disempowerment of women is preventing them from accessing free healthcare.
That is according to Thembelihle Gumede, the operations manager at Ndaleni Clinic in Richmond in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says women in Africa are more likely to die from communicable diseases than their counterparts in other regions.
The WHO reports that cardiovascular disease – often thought to be a male problem – is the number one killer of women.
Gumede explains why women’s access to healthcare services to treat these conditions remains severely constrained.
“They just delayed, it’s a delay of accessing primary healthcare but nothing that impedes them to say you would not come. We do have a few cases, like isolated cases where women won’t want to take medication and say I am scared of my husband or my boyfriend. That will be due to the gender based violence, but as I am saying the clinic is open, so they can always come and access services,” adds Gumede.
Awareness programme at Kraaifontein school
The non-profit organisation, Save Our Schools, will be presenting an awareness programme around personal hygiene for schoolgirls in Kraaifontein near Cape Town as part of Women’s Month.
The organisation, that focusses on improving the lives of women in poor areas, aims to raise awareness about the millions of schoolgirls that can’t attend school when they’re menstruating because they can’t afford sanitary products.
Thursday’s event at the Masibambane Secondary School will target about 150 learners. They will be addressed on women’s hygiene and issues by inspirational speakers and female healthcare professionals. – additional reporting by Sarel Meintjes
