The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness is now offering its services in your mother tongue, and this includes sign language.
The department said it wants to understand and know what’s wrong with patients who visit its facilities, and it understands the strain people go through trying to understand or ‘speak health’ is overwhelming times, especially when it's in their fourth or fifth language.
It has therefore launched its own telephonic interpretation and sign language service aimed at putting people first and allowing for clear communication in the delivery of health care.
The department said this person-centric approach is engrained in the rendering of health care, providing patients with hope and optimism that they will receive the best care possible.
Beraldene Claassen’s son, who is a patient at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, has been able to make use of this new service offered.
"Signing was an obstacle for us. Without this service at the hospital, we wouldn’t be able to communicate with our son and identify the health challenges, and we would not have gotten as far as we have today," she said.
The department said the service has become an integral part of how health care is provided and has established a trusting relationship between health care workers, patients, and interpreters.
"This three-way communication system lays the foundation for clear communication to obtain and relay critical information in diagnosis, the treatment plan, and follow-up care," it said.
Sixty-year-old Lawrence Alberts, a patient at the Bishop Lavis Community Day Centre (CDC), said he feels anxious when he has to visit the clinic but is soon relieved once he sees his interpreter.
“The interpreter really allows for in-depth communication so that the doctor or nurse knows what I need. I have my health problems, but I am healthy, and this service ensures I get the right information from the doctor or nurse about my treatment,” Alberts said.
Sister Germaine Faro at the CDC said she cannot do without the service and that it really does make a difference for her and her patients.
She said it allows her patients to fully express themselves and ensures she gets all the information needed to support her patients, without it, there would be a struggle to communicate.
"This service really helps when I need to explain something to patients in their mother tongue. They appreciate the communication in their own language and then also understand it better," Nurse Alfonso Swarts from the Plettenberg Bay Clinic said.
To date, 5,309 tele-interpreting calls have been successfully handled, and 1,456 sign language sessions have been scheduled for patients.
"Since adding sign language interpreting to the service, there has been an exponential increase in the utilisation of sign language at facilities as the deaf community embraces this service even more.
"The interpreters have also assisted many deaf mothers throughout their pregnancy journey, as well as during labour. Imagine going through childbirth in silence – not only are all the doctors and nurses speaking around you and giving instructions, but you are also not able to hear your baby’s first cry. The sign language interpreters allow new deaf mothers to experience these amazing moments," the department said.
How does it work?
When arriving at one of the department’s health facilities and you are unable to communicate with the reception clerk, point to your language on the poster that advertises the interpreting service. If you can communicate with the clerk, ask to make use of the service, and they will connect you with an interpreter in your language of preference.
The service is available in emergencies and on public holidays.
What languages are available?
The tele-interpreting languages available are: Afrikaans; English; Ndebele; Sepedi; Sesotho; Setswana; Siswati; Tsonga; Venda; Xhosa; Zulu; Arabic; Bemba; Igbo; Lingala; Luo Oromo; Shona; Somali; Swahili; Tonga; Tshiluba; Yoruba; Chichewa Kirundi; Amharic; Malagasy; Lari; Mandarin Chinese; Japanese; Thai; French; Italian; German; Portuguese; Russian; Spanish.
All interpreters are nationally and internationally accredited, thus ensuring they can relay tactical information in an easily understandable language to patients.