Primary school children with dental, sight and hearing problems can have these issues attended to.
This follows the launch of the Nedbank Mobile Health Clinic on Nelson Mandela Day last year at Emfundisweni Primary School in Alexandra. The mobile clinic then visited the North West province where it spent six months helping various primary schools.
The bus-turned-consulting rooms has a fully equipped dental section, along with primary healthcare and optometry units staffed with medical professionals from the Department of Health who conduct screenings on the children.
Glasses are issued for free on the spot for children who need them, while minor dental correctional surgery and extractions are also done for free on the spot. Those needing complicated surgery or extensive treatment are referred to local clinics and hospitals.
Mobile Schools Health project manager Nothando Gininda, who works in partnership with Nedbank, said before any screenings the children were registered on a database which captures all their records for future follow-ups.
“Each year, the mobile clinic will move from province to province, community to community and school to school, together with the Nedbank Back to School Campaign, to assess the children’s health requirements and also make follow-ups on those seen previously to gauge their progress,” Gininda said.
Gininda added that they had a similar mobile clinic in Nigeria which caters for pregnant women and is equipped with a sauna, scanner and a baby incubator which allows for less complicated on the spot deliveries.
