The University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Faculty of Community and Health Sciences (CHS) is set to underscore its commitment to community engagement and social responsibility with a series of impactful health and wellness outreach events.
These initiatives will take place on August 30 in the Bellville CBD (MES building) and on August 31 in the Fisantekraal community on the outskirts of Durbanville.
In collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Health, Nation Builder, MES,KeReady, VRCID (Voortrekker Road), and Tygerburger Hospice, CHS is geared up to deliver much-needed health and wellness screenings and assistance to the residents of Bellville CBD and Fisantekraal. The spotlight will be on providing essential services to homeless individuals in the Bellville CBD, addressing their unique healthcare needs.
Distinguished UWC alumni, Dr Farzana Parker and Dr Grace Abubu, both dentists, have also shown their support by offering their expertise in dental and oral hygiene services in both Bellville and Fisantekraal.
For years, CHS has been at the forefront of community engagement, placing health sciences students within various institutions and communities, including Fisantekraal. This year’s initiative marks a significant step as the faculty extends its assistance to the homeless population in the Bellville CBD, mirroring its own presence as a dual-campus institution located within the heart of Bellville.
“We are proud of the work our students have been doing in the past years in Fisantekraal, and the impact has been phenomenal. They have shown discipline, care and compassion for the ill and the communities,” said Professor Firdouza Waggie, Deputy Dean for Clinical and Community Engagement at CHS.
To augment their outreach efforts, the faculty is also conducting a donation drive for essential items including sanitary towels, toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, fresh fruit, small tissue packets, soap, non-perishable foods and used clothes. All donations will be directed to MES Bellville, a centre of hope that serves homeless and street communities in Bellville, Parow, Brackenfell, and Durbanville.
Prof Waggie expressed the faculty’s commitment to community service: “We believe in the spirit of Ubuntu and in being neighborly, which is why we are paying special attention to the homeless and street people in the Bellville CBD, in collaboration with MES.”
Services offered during the outreach events include blood pressure monitoring, weight loss/BMI assessments, glucose testing, urine testing, dental and oral hygiene services, TB/HIV screening, pap smears, cardiovascular risk assessments, natural medicine consultations, family planning support, physiotherapy sessions, social welfare services, legal advice and counsel, referral to appropriate professionals, and health promotion initiatives.
UWC’s SHC has transformed the former JS Murray Hospital into a state-of-the-art health sciences learning facility in the Bellville CBD over the past five years. Anchoring itself within the community, the faculty houses a range of disciplines including Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Natural Medicine, and the Interprofessional Education Unit.
The outreach efforts are spearheaded by the Interprofessional Education Unit (IPEU), led by Prof Waggie, in collaboration with CHS support staff, students, and academics.
