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The Citizen
15-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Men urged to seek medical health timeously
KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has sent out a heartfelt plea to all men to embrace a culture of disease prevention. 'Men must know their health status and seek medical help when they are sick; that is not a sign of weakness,' she said. Speaking on the Department of Health's (DoH) KZN Health Chat multimedia programme in Durban recently, Simelane explained that the DoH was going all out this month and beyond, to meet men where they are and bring them closer to health services that they often shy away from. ALSO READ: Teen moms avoid healthcare amid fears of reporting rape, discloses KZN health MEC 'We are encouraging men to change their mindset and realise that seeking help is not a sign of weakness. We are urging them to come closer to clinics, community health centres and hospitals. 'It's important for men to get tested and know where they stand as far their health is concerned. 'It is a known fact that men generally don't like to visit health facilities. Women do, as do girls. You can see that they grow up knowing it's normal to seek help. But when it comes to men and even boys, you can see they don't want to come through. 'This makes it difficult for us to deal with various ailments that affect them,' said Simelane. The MEC added that this reluctance to seek help has devastating consequences, and that many men end up dying from illnesses that could have been treated if they had sought treatment earlier. She said she was incredibly concerned that it is not uncommon for men to suffer from severe headaches due to high blood pressure or a hypertensive crisis, and not seek help until it leads to something as serious as a stroke. 'The department has rolled out 129 men-friendly clinics throughout KZN, which is regarded as a major step forward. This is a good achievement when you consider we didn't have any two years ago. 'These clinics don't only deal with issues such as erectile dysfunction, they address men's health needs holistically, including ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes, mental health, HIV, TB, cancer screening, and much more,' she said. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
11-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
KZN Health MEC encourages men to prioritise health and seek help
A man visiting a men's clinic at the Pinetown municipal clinic. The Health MEC has urged men in the province to prioritise their health. Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has issued a heartfelt appeal to men across the province to prioritise their health and seek medical assistance when necessary, stressing that doing so is 'not a sign of weakness.' Speaking on the Department's KZN Health Chat multimedia programme recently, Simelane said the Department is intensifying efforts to bring health services closer to men, who are often reluctant to access them. 'As the Department of Health, we are encouraging men to change their mindset and realise that seeking help is not a sign of weakness,' said Simelane. 'We are really urging them to come to our clinics, Community Health Centres, and hospitals.' She said the reluctance of many men to seek healthcare has dire consequences. 'It's a known fact that men generally do not like to come to health facilities. Women do come, and so do girls. You can see that they grow up knowing it's normal to seek help. However, when it comes to men, and even boys, you can see that they don't want to come through, which makes it difficult for us to deal with various ailments that affect them.' Simelane warned that many men die prematurely from treatable illnesses simply because they delay seeking help. 'It is not uncommon for men to suffer from a severe headache, due to high blood pressure or a hypertensive crisis, and not seek help up until it leads to something as serious as stroke.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ To address this challenge, the Department has established 129 Men-Friendly Clinics throughout the province. 'This is a good achievement when you consider that we didn't have a single one two years ago,' she said. 'These clinics don't only deal with issues such as erectile dysfunction. They address men's health needs holistically, including ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes, mental health, HIV, TB, cancer screening, and much more.' The goal this Men's Month is to encourage a mindset shift. 'We want men to know that there's no shame in coming to the clinic. We want to help before things get worse,' Simelane said. 'However, the real change must come from the men themselves by taking that first step towards a healthier and longer life.' THE MERCURY
The Citizen
15-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
ARV defaulters urged to resume treatment
The KZN Department of Health is on a quest to find nearly 117 000 people on antiretrovirals (ARVs) and bring them back to treatment by the end of the year. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said the province has about 1.5 million people who are stable on ARVs, saying that the department is now on a mission to find thousands more who have stopped treatment for various reasons. Simelane explained that the province is participating in the newly-launched Close the Gap campaign, a collaboration between the National Department of Health and the South African National Aids Council. Speaking on the Department's KZN Health Chat multimedia programme last Friday, Simelane said the campaign aimed to reach 1.1 million people across the country who know their HIV status, but are not on treatment. The MEC said although more than 200 000 people in KZN are estimated to be lost to treatment, they have set a target of finding 117 616 of them by year-end and returning them to care. 'We are determined to bring people back on treatment. As we always say, no one should ever die just because they've stopped taking medication that can suppress HIV to the point of being undetectable. We know that some people stop taking their ARVs due to treatment fatigue, which we strongly discourage. In some ways, we are victims of our success as a province. People take their medication until they feel so well that they think they can stop,' she said. Simelane added that they only feel better because of the treatment. 'So, we urge everyone to stick to their treatment and for those who've stopped, to come back and re-enrol. If we don't, resistance can develop, making treatment less effective and putting our lives at risk,' she said. She also cautioned that excessive alcohol use can lead to defaulting on treatment. 'Being a teetotaler doesn't make you ibhari (a bumpkin) or unfashionable. There is nothing wrong with not drinking. But if you must drink, do so in moderation – especially if you are on ARVs. Drinking too much makes it harder to keep track of time, let alone remember to take your medication. We plead with our compatriots to take care and protect their health,' she said The MEC said while the department intensifies its Close the Gap efforts, anyone wishing to return to the ARV programme is encouraged to visit their local clinic and speak to a healthcare worker. HAVE YOUR SAY Like the South Coast Fever's Facebook page At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
