By Palesa Mofoti and Khumo Makame
A railway healthcare initiative, bringing health services to the underserved, Phelophepha (loosely translated) “good, clean health”, came to Kimberley on 10 September. (for how long are they going to be here)?
The initiative began as an eye care facility, grew into a comprehensive health service provided in a stationary train coaches.
Phelophepha was established in 1994 by Transnet, a rail organisation, as a three-coach train eye clinic service. It was later extended to a 16-coach train to accommodate other services, including healthcare, psychology, pharmacy, and a dental clinic.
The train travels through rural communities in South Africa, providing free healthcare services to the disadvantaged and the needy in partnership with the Department of Health, aiming to alleviate health constraints within the department.
Although Phelophepha serves communities, it is not immune to challenges that hinder its operations. These challenges include vandalism and theft of the railway infrastructure, which often causes delays when the train heads to another station.
Additionally, the influx of patients, many of whom are elderly and may not fully understand the procedures, also contributes to the efficient and effective delivery of their service.
The influx of patients, many of whom are elderly and may not fully understand the procedures, also contributes to the efficient and effective delivery of their service.
The train boasts with 22 dedicated staff members and it also hosts and provide experience to students from various tertiary institutions who are completing their final year of studies. Retired nurses are also roped in, to assist with the workload.
Since its inception, the Phelophepha initiative has made a significant impact, providing healthcare to an estimated 14 million patients. They see an average of 375,000 patients annually.
The Train Manager, Dr Manamela, said they are trying to maximise their service by seeing 100 or more patients per day for each service.
In addition to the stationery coach, Phelophepha have outreach programmes covering 70km from the area where the train is stationed. Targeting learners from primary schools, people living with disabilities and places of safety.
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