To: Portfolio Committee on Health

Chairperson of the committee, this is Thabisile from amandla.mobi, as amandla. mobi, we work on amplifying the voices of low-income Black women, and we are writing to you and other Ministers to ensure the new Government of National Unity will unite behind the interests of the people.

One of our members set up this petition:
https://awethu.amandla.mobi/petitions/tell-south-african-government-to-prioritize-endometriosis patients, as an endometriosis survivor she details the pain of how late diagnosis impacted her. She is calling on the government to:
- Ensure every local clinic/hospital has an endometriosis facility where patients are treated promptly and followed up the same way they prioritize other chronic diseases.
- Establishment of endometriosis awareness interventions and early diagnosis in communities, clinics and schools.
- Increased knowledge of this chronic disease and improved attitudes from healthcare workers when dealing with patients.
Currently, knowledge of established endometriosis interventions in communities is limited; however, we plead with your department to look into prioritising these interventions in the same fashion that cancer and HIV/AIDS interventions are prioritised. Currently, it is estimated that 1 in 10 out of every South African woman will be diagnosed with endometriosis [1]
According to research, the cause of endometriosis is still widely unknown, and there is no known way to prevent it. There is also no cure, but its symptoms can be treated with medication or, in some cases, surgery [2]. Similarly, in the experience of the member who set up this petition, she has been suffering from endometriosis since the age of 13 she is currently 52 and has suffered from severe period pains from her first cycle. She was only diagnosed at the age of 27 with stage 4 endometriosis, which led to her suffering 2 ectopic pregnancies. Many more women who signed the petition have similar stories and have been dismissed when they needed an intervention the most.
The symptoms of endometriosis should be widely known, publicised and understood by health practitioners as well, patients should not have to be dismissed only to be diagnosed at a later stage and after many futile attempts to access proper healthcare.
Therefore, we write this email to both enquire and plead with your office whether there are planned endometriosis interventions to be rolled out soon or if more budget needs to be allocated for this crucial intervention. In terms of municipal allocations, we do know there is a planned budget for interventions to sustain ward-based door-to-door HIV and AIDS education programmes and to promote safe sex behaviour (HIV/AIDS prevention) [3]. Similarly, endometriosis falls within the realm of priorities the department should set up in hopes of promoting preventative care and health promotion as outlined in the budget for health and wellness campaigns in areas such as Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels.
We do hope your office or department will act on the above and/or direct us to any detailed plans on what the Gauteng department of health is currently doing to deal with endometriosis.
We look forward to hearing back from you.
Thanks.
References
[1] Endometriosis: condition with no cure or known cause affects millions of women globally. By Samantha Lee-Jacobs for News24. 02 April 2024.
https://www.news24.com/news24/community-newspaper/peoples-post/the-low-down-on-endom etriosis-20240401
[2] Changing the agenda: A women-first approach to health and social justice. By Atiya Mosam for Mail and Guardian. 20 February 2024.
https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/opinion/2024-02-20-changing-the-agenda-a-women-first-approa ch-to-health-and-social-justice/
[3] Gauteng budget prioritises health sector with substantial allocation. By Thembisa Shologu for Gauteng Gov.ZA. 05 March 2024.
https://www.gauteng.gov.za/News/NewsDetails/%7B65d81b91-beb7-4f5f-bb23-be521c6e91ca% 7D#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Health%20in,R60%20billion%20in%202023%2F24