Quality health care in rural communities

Mobile clinics render primary health care services in rural communities where a fixed clinic cannot be built by government.
The Bruntville Community Health Centre (CHC) mobile clinic sees about 1 600 clients a month from different rural communities located at a central point.
The mobile clinic is used by health workers to screen children and adults for conditions that compromise their health.
Last year, through this programme, the Bruntville CHC mobile team screened over 19 000 beneficiaries from different rural communities for a range of health conditions.
Mobile health team
The Bruntville CHC mobile health teams, which are made up of a professional nurse and an enrolled nurse and/or an assistant nurse and a lay counsellor, screened 19 200 beneficiaries during the last financial year.
Of these beneficiaries, some were referred to the Bruntville CHC and hospitals for specialist care and further investigation.
Prevalent cases that were identified were oral health, eye care, positive for pregnancy, CD4 count lower than 350 and suspected Tuberculosis.
During the visits immunisation is also one of the main services that are given to beneficiaries.
Mobile clinics offer services of primary health care and give health education to communities at the different points.
The package of services the mobile team offers are women’s health, child health and chronic disease.
Stanley Hadebe, a 75 year old pensioner from the Birdsspruit area, has been visiting the mobile clinic for over a year now.
Stanley is asthmatic and receives his asthma pump at the mobile point every month.
“The sisters here really help me a lot.
Having them come here means I no longer have to travel to as far as Estcourt Hospital or Bruntville CHC for my pump, I receive it here,” said Stanley.