Polokwane residents praise Phelophepa Health Train’s services

POLOKWANE – The Transnet Phelophepa Health train is once again in town and residents are visiting the station to access their services in numbers.

The train rolled into the Polokwane Station last Monday (July 17) and will be in the city until July 28.

Phelophepa, which means “good, clean health”, is a unique mobile healthcare clinic that uses the existing rail network and travels to remote communities in South Africa, where dental, optometry, psychological and pharmaceutical services are offered.

With the assistance of Transnet, the train returned to Polokwane to assist people, in rural areas especially, with various medical issues.

The eighteen coach train, with twenty resident staff members, fondly known as the ‘miracle trains’, carry modern medical equipment on board.

Dr Thabiso Manamela told the Polokwane Observer that they arrived on Saturday, July 18, to start setting up their stations and was surprised to see people had started queuing at the station the minute they found out that the train was in the city.

“The Polokwane station has to be the busiest station in Limpopo. People from this side always come in numbers,” he added.

Residents are happy with the services provided and Merriam Moeketji, who has been visiting the train since 2019, described the Phelophepa as a ‘train of miracles’ as she has always received good service.

“The Phelophepa train has always given me the best services. I will always love and be grateful for it,” she said.

Among the other positive feedback given by residents, Albertina Lekganyane told the Observer she wishes that the services can be brought near to her village.

“I travel kilometers to access the train’s full services since community outreaches do not off all them,” she said.

Since its inception in 1994, and with more than 40 permanent staff and numerous volunteers, the train has become more than a mobile hospital. It also provides outreach and educational programmes and has reached more than 20 million people thus far, making it the world’s biggest mobile clinic.

It does not compete with or replace available health care services, instead it complements those services and aims to assist people who cannot afford health care and often experience barriers to access public health services.