The Western Cape Government Health Department partnered with the Hermanus Rotary Club to host the First Health Outreach to Baardskeerdersbos recently.
The grounds of the Baardskeerdersbos Dutch Reformed (DR) church were swarming on 21 October as members of the small farming community arrived for the outreach project. The community had access to various services, including women’s health, men’s health (which included finger prick tests for prostate cancer), children’s health, mental health, a dietician, TB screening, HIV testing, eye testing, oral health, Covid-19 vaccinations and substance abuse education.
Ferdie Marais, a Hermanus Rotary Club member and one of the organisers of the day, said the Rotary Club had been working with the Department of Health for many years, offering help where it can and financial support where necessary.
Sr Anita Rust, another organiser of the event, said the day was a huge success with roughly 150 members of the community accessing the available service.
“It’s the first time this type of outreach is held in Baardskeerdersbos,” she said. “The community is serviced by a mobile clinic and patients who seek acute medical services need to visit Gansbaai Clinic. We can now see there is high demand for dental services and will start looking at offering more dental outreaches in this community.”
Dr Francois Fourie along with the chairperson of the Hermanus Hospital Facility Board, Joan Daries, also hosted an Indaba at the event for various stakeholders to discuss the current state of the Overstrand Health Service and how these services can be improved.
Dr Fourie said this is one of three events that will be hosted across the Overstrand Sub-district.
Dr Fourie thanked the NGOs for availing their services and the DR church for the use of its property.
He also thanked the Rotary Club for its generous contribution of support staff for registration, finger prick tests for prostate cancer, glasses from the eye clinic, a meal for each patient attending the outreach and a generator for the day.
