Access to medical help thanks to Transnet’s Phelophepa train
The Transnet Phelophepha train has become a service delivery feature that thousands of those who cannot afford medical care, often look forward to every year.
Vella Nyoni
LIMPOPO – THE provision of primary healthcare in South Africa continues to be overwhelmed, particularly public healthcare.
As the South African public healthcare facilities battle with the growing figures of people who seek medical attention, state owned body Transnet has come up with an innovative way to rise to the challenge.
The Transnet Phelophepha train has become a service delivery feature that thousands of those who cannot afford medical care, often look forward to every year.
Translated, Phelophepha literally is a warm phrase that sounds comforting. It is taken from the Tswana language and means “good clean health”.
This is a Transnet initiative that was started with the dawn of democracy in 1994.
The concept followed after the realisation that a large number of the population did not have access to proper medical services in a form of medical aid subscriptions.
This is where the Phelophepha train comes in. The train moves around the country offering people free basic health services, and recently visited several towns in Limpopo.
Some of the popular medical check-ups offered within this mobile clinic include optometry, dentistry, testing centres for chronic illnesses and counseling, amongst other things.
The train has come to Limpopo, starting in Tzaneen in the Vhembe district. It’s journey has led medical students and doctors inside the train to Polokwane. Phelophepha moves around 8 provinces of the country with the exclusion of Gauteng.
It is scheduled to be in the area for one to two weeks. The team makes use of what they call social mobilisers to let people know about its presence.
“We employ social mobilisers who hand out pamphlets to let people know that they can come and get help. We also use word of mouth which has proven to be very effective,” says Anna Mokwena, a registered nurse and train manager.
Although it is funded by Transnet, they also make use of other stakeholders such as medical universities in a bid to deliver the best possible care to patients.
Other partners in the provision of healthcare services offered by the train include the police, the Polokwane municipality, the national department of health, Roche and Colgate Palmolive.
They contribute to the medicine offered in the train.
The doctors are organised by Transnet, they come from all over South Africa and other countries. Locals were also hired as translators, nurses and social mobilisers.
One of the patients, Samuel Mamabolo, says that he was happy with the service the doctors gave him.
“I was given the best care and the service was amazing. I cannot complain, the doctors were wonderful,” says Mamabolo.
“The train is scheduled to go to Mokopane and Mookgophong next.
