Malvern Clinic has drawn the curtain on their month-long annual Road to Health community health campaign which began in November.
The focus of the campaign was to administer Vitamin A and deworming supplements to children aged between two and five who were seen to be behind on specific developmental stages.
The clinic provided the interventions to children in crèches located in Malvern, Denver, Cleveland as well as at Jumpas informal settlement.
Enrolled nurse at the clinic Dipuo Thite said the campaign was part of the clinic’s Road to Health mandate, which focuses on the immunisation of children from the time they are born until they reach the age of 12.
Thite explained that a Road to Health printed booklet is given to parents when a baby is born as an initiative by the Department of Health.
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She said the booklet can be taken to any healthcare provider as a record of a child’s clinic visits and history of immunisation.
“We visited crèches in these areas to ensure that children are up to date on their immunisation, deworming and Vitamin A,” said Thite.
“We don’t want these children defaulting or falling back from crucial development stages as they grow older.
“However, when we found that some children had defaulted, as per the information provided in their booklets, they were referred to the clinic in order to get them back on track and on the path to a healthy childhood.”
Community health worker Sindy Ndlela said it is important for parents to take note of their children’s development needs and ensure that they regularly take their children in for immunisation on the dates provided in the booklet.
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“Parents don’t always take note of the dates supplied in the Road to Health booklets that are provided,” said Ndlela.
“We do, however, speak to them and try to educate them as far as possible so that they are able to look after the interests of their children.”
