In providing essential services to homeless people in Bellville and Fisantekraal, and to address their unique healthcare needs, the University of the Western Cape's (UWC) Faculty of Community and Health Sciences (CHS) is hosting a series of health and wellness outreach events.
The initiatives will take place on August 30 in the Bellville CBD at MES Safe Space, 1 AJ West Street - a yellow building located behind the Bellville Library; and at the Fisantekraal Multipurpose Centre on August 31.
Services offered during the outreach events will include blood pressure monitoring, weight loss/BMI assessments, glucose testing, urine testing, dental and oral hygiene services, TB/HIV screening, pap smears, cardiovascular risk assessments, natural medicine consultations, and family planning support.
There will also be physiotherapy sessions, social welfare services, legal advice and counsel, referral to appropriate professionals, and health promotion initiatives.
"We believe in the spirit of Ubuntu and in being neighbourly, which is why we are paying special attention to the homeless and street people in the Bellville CBD, in collaboration with MES,“ said Professor Firdouza Waggie, Deputy Dean for Clinical and Community Engagement at CHS.
“We are proud of the work our students have been doing in the past years in Fisantekraal, and the impact has been phenomenal. They have shown discipline, care and compassion for the ill and the communities.”
UWC alumni, Dr Farzana Parker and Dr Grace Abubu, both dentists, have also shown their support by offering their expertise in dental and oral hygiene services in both Bellville and Fisantekraal.
Cape Times