Free medical outreach helps homeless and vulnerable people in Edenvale
Residents who lack access to basic healthcare receive it through the Grace Place Methodist Church.
Residents of Edenvale benefited from a medical outreach conducted by the Grace Place Church at the Edenvale Methodist Church on May 16.
The church itself is physically located in Linksfield.
Trevor Govender said that for more than eight years, Grace Place Church, led by Mark Fletcher, has been serving the Edenvale community, specifically homeless people living on the streets.
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“We used to operate outside Horwoods Farm, but it was not very practical there. So now we feed people here every Saturday at 09:00.
Twice a year, we do not only run a feeding scheme, but also host a medical outreach programme.
This is because many people living on the streets do not have access to basic healthcare. We are simply trying to help where we can,” explained Pastor Govender.
He added that besides the medical side of things, they also give them a meal, and we pray with them, looking at their spiritual and prayer needs. He said there is a follow-up system as well.
“Most of the people come this side for work on a Saturday, but most of them are from Edenvale.”
The pastor said they brought in a professional body called Care Network International, a registered medical outreach organisation that they have been using for many years.
The organisation brings its own medical staff, practitioners, pharmaceuticals, and equipment, and provides medical care.
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Pastor Govender explained, “So we start off with basic things like your height and weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, basic medical assessment. Then they will see a doctor for a consultation.
There are counselling services as well, including prayer, as well as HIV/Aids. We have a dentist and an optician as well.”
He further said that whatever was prescribed by the medical practitioners, the patients would then collect the medicine at the pharmacy. At the end of all that, they had a cooked meal and a hamper to take home.
The pastor clarified that all of this was based on the Bible.
“We strongly believe that we need to uplift those who are less fortunate, in need, broken and those who have lost hope.”
