An ambitious rural healthcare project with its roots in a joint American/South African military exercise is underway in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Project Owethu community outreach initiative was launched by SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Peter Maphaha as the number one of the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS), during the just completed Armed Forces Day (AFD) commemorations and events.
The project will run for five years with the aim of providing free medical assistance to especially rural people with difficult or no access to healthcare facilities such as clinics.
The healthcare component of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) is partnering the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health in Project Owethu. Multi-disciplinary SAMHS teams went to Eshowe Hospital, Kwa-Msane Clinic, Mhlathuze sports grounds and surrounding areas for medical screenings. Oral health education at KwaZibonele Primary School and Maqhwakwazi hall for further health interventions were part of the roll-out.
Of Operation Shared Accord with US military personnel, the Surgeon General said it gave rise to Owethu in the wake of successful exercises in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The joint humanitarian/peace support exercises, according to him, provided the necessary insight to target “deep rural and marginalised communities” and at the same time, give hope to people and led to a needs analysis. The latter was conducted between July and December 2022, and execution commenced in January 2023 with an official launch of the project on 18 February.
Maphaha said Owethu is dedicated to the most important component of the healthcare system – the patient – and will work under the theme “improving the lives of our people, one community at a time”.
Calling Owethu “a good South African story” he said the dedication of SAMHS health practitioners, including dental, dietician, veterinary specialists, social workers and psychologists, working alongside provincial and local authority stakeholders will see to better general health as well as dental and psychosocial care, along with veterinary care, including rabies vaccinations for pets.
Ahead of Armed Forces Day on Tuesday (21 February), the SAMHS had conducted 3 999 medical screenings at schools and community halls. Screenings focused on early detection of diseases and health education. This included measles immunisation with 75 patients referred to the next level of care for further interventions. Three thousand three hundred and seventy-four dental screenings were done in the same time. Immediate wound care was provided where patients presented with primary burn wounds and eczema. Challenges faced by the communities visited are over and underweight, child-headed families, emotional distress in schoolchildren with psychological intervention in terms of counselling to children and teaching staff initiated.
Highlights included treatment of cerebral palsied child patients in a theatre – a first – at Eshowe Hospital.
On the veterinary side, SAMHS veterinary doctors removed a cancerous tumour from a dog, sterilized 1 035 dogs, and offered a mentorship incubation project to young veterinarians.
Looking ahead, Maphaha said Project Owethu would be extended to other provinces “as well as where the next Armed Forces Day is scheduled”.
He mentioned that as natural disasters are becoming the ‘new normal’ due to climate change, the SANDF is looking to establish a dedicated disaster response unit, as it is regularly called on to assist with floods, fires and other events. The Chief of the SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya, is looking at redoing its force design and the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) will be an important part of the new unit.
