Pastor Mawande Lugongolo says men need to be treated well at healthcare facilities. Photos by Misheck Makora
THE City of Cape Town is worried about its men.
MMC for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, said there’s been a 15% decline in the number of men attending health facilities.
She urged men aged 40 and older to have regular screenings for hypertension and diabetes. However, trends show that younger men, aged 18 to 40, are also diagnosed due, in part, to lifestyle habits.
The city said during the 2023/2024 financial year, 1 101 765 men attended city clinics, compared to 1 294 229 the previous year.
The city’s health department held a men’s health event at the Gugulethu Clinic on Tuesday, 19 November, where men were encouraged to go for health checks regularly. Among other things, men were advised to get their prostate checked for cancer, testicular diseases, tuberculosis, cardiovascular diseases and non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and HIV.
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Lugongolo Foundation founder, Pastor Mawande Lugongolo, said he supports men who need medical services, and that government needs to address a few issues to address the problem.
He argues that many men work in no-work no-pay setups and can’t afford to miss work and go to the clinic.
“Men don’t easily get days off in informal jobs and they finish late after 5pm, yet clinics close at 4pm. Apart from closing at 4pm, some clinics have what they call ‘cut off’ times. Though they close at 4pm, if you get there at 3pm you may not get helped after ‘cut off’ time,” said Lugongolo.
To encourage more men to attend healthcare facilities, Lugongolo said there must be a “bucket list” of services for men at clinics.
He argued that at this point, men only go to clinics for HIV tests and STI treatment.
Lugongolo said there is a need to investigate how the staff treat men, who sometimes feel mistreated at clinics.
“We’re not saying men must get a red-carpet treatment when they go to the clinic but must be treated like any normal patient. Some men go to the clinic and the treatment they get from the staff is sometimes unwelcoming,” he said.
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