Chronic Disease Lifestyle Support Group Launch

Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, today announced the official launch of the new Chronic Disease Lifestyle (CDL) Support Group at the Honeyside Clinic in Klipfontein sub-district.
 
The launch, by the Western Cape Government Health in conjunction with the City of Cape Town, will reduce the waiting times for patients who collect their chronic medication at the Dr Abdurahman Community Health Centre. The provision of the CDL Support Group is prescribed by the Package of Care for patients at this community health centre.
 
At the same time, it is also hoped that the launch will reduce overcrowding and long waiting times at other community health centres across the Klipfontein and Mitchells Plain sub-structure.
 
Chronic care patients who attend the CDL Support groups will receive their medication parcels with the help of various Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) in the area as the part of a Community Based Services Platform, which is one of the platforms of a district health system.
 
The goal of the programme is to establish an integrated community-based services platform to render a full package of quality services to the communities in all districts of the Western Cape. The launch of CDL at Honeyside is in line with provincial and city goals of bringing services closer to the people who need them.

The department already has similar services provided by support groups in other City of Cape Town facilities and plans to expand to other areas.
 
 In his address, the Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, said: "The launch of the chronic lifestyle disease support group supports the Department’s Healthcare 2030 goals of improving the patient experience.  Prevention and health promotion focus on community education and interventions to create positive behavior changes around healthy living, personal safety and reducing disease transmission. This is in line with our government's objective to create wellness and reduce illness.

 "The support group will assist to integrate the management of childhood illnesses, HIV prevention, TB education and case finding, and general health risk factors such as poor diet, smoking, alcohol and lack of physical activity.
 
"All this would untimely improve the waiting times at pharmacy and free up pharmacists to do more intensive counseling and script reviews to improve the better health care at primary health care level."

Patients would have more convenience - with travelling becoming more cost-effective and they would be able to form social groups with people who have similar ailments.