Far East Rand Hospital Crisis Centre hosts awareness day
Community not fully aware of what exactly the centre does.
The Crisis Centre at Far East Rand Hospital held an awareness day on Wednesday morning.
The day was prompted by the community’s lack of awareness about what the centre does and the correct procedures to follow when you have been a victim of abuse or assault.
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“We often have people who come to use after 72 hours of the incident, at which point we cannot help them with either giving them emergency contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy and they also do not qualify to get Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).
“PEP is a short-term anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment that reduces the likelihood of HIV infection after exposure to HIV-infected blood or sexual contact with an HIV-positive person.
“It is recommended that victims of sexual assault get this drug as they often do not know the HIV status of their rapist.
“Coming within 72 hours of the incident also helps us to collect evidence in the form of DNA,” says Ntombifuthi Madonsela, manager of the centre.
Staff at the centre are hopeful awareness days like this are helpful and have seen the fruits of their labour.
“There is still a stigma around being a victim of abuse, but with more awareness about what we do is helping more victims to come forward.
“We also get old cases now because people are aware of what services we offer, says Madonsela.
Besides helping victims of abuse, the centre also provides counselling services, age assessment, and assist with court preparations.
The centre works closely with the Department of Justice, the police and doctors.
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