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The Community Healthcare Workers (CHW)started a campaign in Orange Farm, South of Johannesburg on Monday, 26 October 2020. The head of the campaign was Irene Mofokeng, who is the facility manager for the ext. 7 clinic. The clinics that were involved in the campaign were Embalenhle Clinic, Catcham loveLife, Anova and other non-governmental organisations (NGO).
The campaign took the whole week from Monday, 26 October 2020 to Friday, 30 October 2020.The targeted areas included Drieziek 3, which is next to Govan Mbeki Primary School, Driek Park, and Tjovitjo. The reason these areas were targeted is because they are far from the two facilities where they receive their medical attention, which are the Embalenhle Clinic and Ext. 7 Clinic.
The aim for the campaign was to bring back patients to the facility so they can access the health care. tMany patients were defaulting from their treatment since the lockdown was introduced.
Patients were afraid to go to clinics because of COVID-19. The reason for this fear was that they would have to stand outside the clinic as they have to practice social distancing and lessthan 50 people allowed inside the clinic at a time.
Miss Mofokeng said that the CHWswent to visit the patients to tell them to come back to the clinics and to also bring the children for their immunization.
Mofokeng added, “We have brought the health services to their doors steps today. We do not ask questions; we just give them their necessary services with smile. We understand that the stay away was because of lockdown.”
There were about 100 CHWs participating in the campaign. And loveLife volunteers were also distributing condoms and educating their peers on the dangers of teenage pregnancy and drug abuse
This article was submitted on 28 October 2020. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
