Nationwide family health day

This is a public private partnership which is sponsored by the MTN SA Foundation, as well as the US government, through the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR).

This year, the Rotary Family Health Days will take place from October 7 to 9.

This three-day drive to take health care into communities brings together government, NGOs, individual volunteers and the corporate sector, as well as the media and international aid organisations.

It will see Rotary volunteers and Department of Health workers converge on 120 sites across South Africa to offer the following services:

• TB screening and testing
• HIV counselling and testing
• Vitamin A supplementation and health lifestyle information
• Immunisations
• Screening for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes
• Sexual and reproductive health services

“The aim is to reach at least 75 000 people in all nine provinces over three days, and if previous years are any guide of community demand, this target

should be reached easily,” says Sue Paget, programme director for RFHA Southern Africa.

Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi, general manager of MTN SA Foundation, explains the organisation’s reason for getting involved: “Access to affordable and quality healthcare still presents a challenge for many South Africans, especially those in rural areas where they have to travel long distances to get even the most basic of services.”

National Department of Health‘s deputy director-general, Dr Yogan Pillay, says: “The Rotary Family Health Days gives impetus to the department’s efforts for integrated mass health screenings.

“The Department of Health calls on all South Africans to take advantage of this service to better understand our health status so that we can both prevent diseases and improve our health.”

Call *120*7343# or 0800 012 322 or go to rfha.org.za for details of your nearest site.