SouthAfrica: PinkDrive launches mobile clinic in the form of a 14 ton truck
In aid to tackle two of the most prevalent female cancers – On Friday, 28 March, Renowned local Public Benefit Organisation (PBO), PinkDrive, announced that it will add serious muscle to the country-wide fight against cervical cancer as it unveiled South Africa’s first Mobile Women’s Health Unit in the form of a fourteen ton truck. Described as a Doctor’s Room on Wheels, the Unit boasts a state-of-the-art gynaecology area for pap smears and examinations, a reception area for administration and a radiology area.
“Aligned with the local government’s millennium goals and current campaigns, such as the large-scale human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinecampaign, expanding our focus to now include the fight against cervical cancer was a natural evolution and we are confident that our experience, dedication and resources will add significant value to the movement,” says Noelene Kotschan CEO and Founder of PinkDrive.
The Mobile Women’s Health Unit’s qualified Mammographers and fully trained nurses will soon be joined by cervical cancer specialists with its current service offering expanding to include various screening tests for the disease to facilitate and promote early detection. The combination ultimately transforms the Unit into a Cancer Powerhouse that enables the PinkDrive to simultaneously tackle the two most prevalent female cancers – breast and cervical cancer. The additional services will remain free to all uninsured women at community health centres and secondary hospitals associated with local academic hospitals.
As usual, however, the PinkDrive is dreaming big and the PBO aims to substantially expand its services in the near future to include other pressing health issues. Typical areas of focus would include HIV and Aids, diabetes and hypertension, blood pressure monitoring as well as tuberculosis to name but a few examples.
“Public-private partnerships will, as always, be key to the overall success of our ambitious dreams and we would thank all the existing partners that have helped make this possible, to join the PinkDrive in its endeavour of ultimately creating a fully-fledged women’s health service offering,” Kotschan concludes.
Various partners such as The Bidvest Group, M-Net, Dis-Chem Foundation, MTN Foundation, Pick n Pay to mention a few and stakeholders including government showed their support at our launch.
