Invited by the Seventh Day Adventist Students Association (SDASA), the volunteers, who include doctors, dentists, eye-care specialists, nurses, psychologists and physiotherapists, are helping out in rural communities across the province for a week.
“They want to make a contribution to largely disadvantaged communities,” said Chris Maxon, spokesperson for KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health.
The team, who are visiting areas such as uThungulu, Jozini and uMkhanyakudei, represents the United Hands Project; an NGO formed in 1995 that enables U.S. healthcare professionals to travel abroad to offer free medical care to people in need.
Following the delegation on 26 July at a ceremony that took place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, the volunteers took up their posts yesterday and worked with local practitioners in state clinics and other facilities run by the health department.
“Depending on conditions, in a community where a clinic is far away, they’ll come with a mobile clinic,” Maxon added.
ENLIGHTENING
Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, MEC for health in KwaZulu-Natal, said the volunteers will literally and figuratively “enlighten” some of KwaZulu-Natal’s rural areas, because they’ll assist community members with eyesight problems.
“The team of healthcare workers coming to the province will help those partially blind and awaiting cataract surgeries, to see more clearly,” Dr Dhlomo said.
Edited by Chris Farnell
Read more about the economic impact of poor eyesight on Africa in Adaptive Eyewear CEO Sjoerd Hannema’s blog
“They want to make a contribution to largely disadvantaged communities,” said Chris Maxon, spokesperson for KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health.
The team, who are visiting areas such as uThungulu, Jozini and uMkhanyakudei, represents the United Hands Project; an NGO formed in 1995 that enables U.S. healthcare professionals to travel abroad to offer free medical care to people in need.
Following the delegation on 26 July at a ceremony that took place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, the volunteers took up their posts yesterday and worked with local practitioners in state clinics and other facilities run by the health department.
“Depending on conditions, in a community where a clinic is far away, they’ll come with a mobile clinic,” Maxon added.
ENLIGHTENING
Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, MEC for health in KwaZulu-Natal, said the volunteers will literally and figuratively “enlighten” some of KwaZulu-Natal’s rural areas, because they’ll assist community members with eyesight problems.
“The team of healthcare workers coming to the province will help those partially blind and awaiting cataract surgeries, to see more clearly,” Dr Dhlomo said.
Edited by Chris Farnell
Read more about the economic impact of poor eyesight on Africa in Adaptive Eyewear CEO Sjoerd Hannema’s blog
