MBOMBELA – Thousands of South Africans from various regions have already received health care services from two mobile Phelophepa Health Trains.
From Monday the train is was to provide health care to the people of Acornhoek until June 26.
Ms Anna Mokwena, the train’s manager, informed us that more than 1 500 patients were treated per week in the province at the station’s clinic, with the eye-care services being the busiest. Several staff members visited schools, prisons and municipalities to provide eye and dental services as well as psychological services.
“Our target is to reach over 91 000 patients throughout the country, although we are more concerned about the quality of services we deliver to our people than making target,” Mokwena said.
She urged citizens to make use of the affordable services rendered by the train. “Everywhere we go, we expect people to come in numbers because we are here for them. We encourage them to come in as early as possible on the day of the arrival of the train in their areas, so we can effectively manage the numbers,” added Mokwena.
People of Limpopo, in areas around Tzaneen, Louis Trichardt, Polokwane, Mokopane, and Mookgophong, will benefit from the train from June 29 to August 21.
A second train had been operating in various areas in KwaZulu-Natal from January 26 to April 2. Its operations will also commence in different parts of the Northern Cape from August 24 to October 2.
Medication cost as little as R5 at the health clinic, R10 for dental services and R30 for a pair of brand-new spectacles.
The Phelophepa Health Train was the world’s first primary health-care hospital on wheels and used the existing rail network to make quality medical care an accessible reality for many of South Africa’s most remote communities. The name “Phelophepa” combined elements of Sotho and Tswana and was roughly translated to “good, clean health” – which was exactly what this mobile health clinic provided.
The first Phelophepa Health Trains started operating in 1994 and won the United Nations Public Service Award in the Improving Service Delivery category in
June 2008.
This remained just one of the many ways in which its positive impact had been recognised within and outside South African borders.
