Poor literacy equals poor health, says Mchunu
KwaZulu-Natal premier Willies Mchunu said poor literacy is a major stumbling block in KwaZulu-Natal’s bid to improve the lives of its people.
|||Durban - Poor literacy is a major stumbling block in KwaZulu-Natal’s bid to improve the lives of its people, KwaZulu-Natal premier Willies Mchunu said on Tuesday.
“Currently the status of health literacy in KZN falls short of the ideal,” he said speaking at the opening of the 40th World Hospital Congress in Durban.
He said it was an issue that he had raised repeatedly in the past.
“Many people do not have the skills required to obtain, understand and act on health information and services. Nor do they have the ability to make appropriate health decisions on their own,” he told the more than 600 delegates attending the congress.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Congress, which is being attended by delegates from more than 40 countries.
“Those who endure the greatest struggles with low health literacy skills are most often older adults and people with lower levels of education,” he said.
He said that poor literacy led to poor decision-making, which in turn could have disastrous consequences for those people.
“Given that chronic ill-health is the leading cause of death in South Africa, the positive health and lifestyle implications for health literacy are potentially far-reaching,” he said.
He said illiterate people did not have the knowledge to seek health care timeously.
African News Agency