NEW VEHICLES TO EXPAND HIV OUTREACH

April 2010

Two new 4x4 patient transport vehicles will enable the Madwaleni HIV Programme to expand considerably into rural communities where access to health services is virtually non-existent. Currently the largest, rural integrated HIV project in South Africa, this expansion of life-saving services will take the programme outreach into outlying communities that have never been accessed before by any service, programme or support.

The vehicles have been especially designed for the terrain and requirements of a dispersed HIV programme. They have been modified to provide comfortable seating for 14 people, with two of the seats adaptable to make a perfectly flat bed for a stretcher. Information on access to the programme is displayed on the vehicles in both isiXhosa and English. This includes details of which days the HIV programme is being run in the various HIV outreach clinics which were built by the Foundation at Nkanya, Hobeni, Bomvana, Mqhele, Xhora, Melitafa, Soga and Vukukhanye.