Setshaba Research Centre partnered up with Centre for Tissue Engineering, Umthobo we Mpilo Service to host a Tuberculosis awareness campaign and aerobics at Soshanguve Block X community Clinic recently.
Health Promoter from Soshanguve Block B Clinic Nomasonto Kumalo Gomba said that her role as a health promoter entails having the hand of the community at heart. Also they work with various organisations to help the community to be healthy and it is their duty as the community to take care of their own health..
Paulina from Umhlobo we Mpilo said that they have facilitators inside various clinics who call community members who missed their clinic appointments, she also urged the community members to answer the phones when they call. They encounter challenges of being robbed when they visit communities as they help people with different medical conditions including checking blood pressure, and doing tests if the matter is server they issue a referral letter to a nearest clinic.
Solly Mnisi Public Awareness Officer from Center for Tissue engineering, which is a tissue bank that being monitored by Tshwane University of Technology advised people about the importance of tissue donation including the skin, heart, eyes and kidneys, which is possible when a person has died after he\she has been on life support machines. He further gave an example that a single person donation of his /her eyes or cornea can help 2 people to see.
Kagiso Mothwa from Setshaba said that her organisation is responsible for doing researches and tests on the various medications before they can be put out in the market. She said that “we need community members and other institutions that do investigations to help us develop medications to help community members when they’re feeling sick”.
“When you see us around the community doing awareness stop badmouthing research, that is why we are here today to eradicate the myths that exists”.
