Thousands treated at Operation Hope
UKZN students helped out at this year's Operation Hope initiative.
MORE than 3500 patients received free primary health care screening in the first leg of this year’s Operation Hope at Durban Christian Centre (DCC).
UKZN’s Discipline of Family Medicine has, over the past three years, partnered with the DCC to make the mass outreach initiative a success in disease prevention and health promotion for Durban’s disadvantaged communities who often have limited access to primary health care. The initiative is held over two consecutive weekends at DCC’s Jesus Dome and in Phoenix.
Family members of all races and ages in target and neighbouring communities flock to these sites for free medical testing which includes testing for blood pressure, diabetes, eyesight, pregnancy, PAP smears and voluntary counselling and testing for HIV. The services – offered by doctors and nurses also from the KZN Department of Health – include health promotion sessions and referrals to hospitals where necessary.
The Acting Head of UKZN’s Discipline of Family Medicine, Dr Kantharuben Naidoo, said most of the Operation Hope attendees came from the underserved communities of Bonela and Cato Crest.
“We need to take health screening out to the people, especially populations that have limited access to healthcare. This is in line with the country’s National Health Insurance ethos for re-engineering primary healthcare. Mass screening helps identify patients at risk for early prevention, minimising their opportunities for serious illnesses at a later stage. There are several risks associated with obesity, for example,” said Dr Naidoo.
Dr Naidoo said it was essential for every citizen to undergo a full health screening at least once a year and that the 2012 initiative found a lot of diabetes and hypertension went undiagnosed in the communities.
