UKZN Students Doing Their Bit Aboard the Phelophepha Health Care Train

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Final year students from UKZN’s School of Nursing recently participated in Transnet’s nationwide Phelophepha train initiative, working on-board for three weeks providing primary health care to patients along the way.

Tutor Ms Mary-Ann Jarvis said the train was staffed by nursing students from various universities in South Africa.

The train has run from January through to September every year since its inception in 1993.

The Discipline’s graduates are expected to provide services in primary health care settings, thus the initiative provides a programme that has a very strong preventative component.

The students rotate to ensure continuity of care for patients on board the Phelophepa, providing primary health care services to rural communities who have no or limited access to affordable care.

Student Ms Bianca Simmes said they provided services to underserved, disadvantaged communities throughout all nine provinces of South Africa wherever there was a presence of railroads and train stations, integrating Psychiatry into primary health care.

The routine on board is that students get up at 06h00 and start work at 07h00. ‘We worked as a team to take in patients, educate them while they were waiting to be attended to and thereafter carried out examinations and diagnosis and provided treatment,’ explained student Nurse, Ms Demi Du Toit.

The students were supervised by resident nursing staff on board who assist and guide them. Students were also assessed by the supervisor on criteria such as professionalism, punctuality, communication with patients and the ability to adapt to a rural setting.

In addition to work carried out on board the train, students were also taken on outreach programmes to schools, old age homes and day cares centres in areas where they performed health care services.

Du Toit said she dealt with a lot of older persons and children on board the train. ‘We had a mobile clinic that drove around primary schools and old age homes and local day cares. We visited low income and rural areas. Patients only had to pay a small fee for medication.’

She said the staff on board were very helpful. ‘They mentored us and showed us all that needed to be done.’

Fourth year student, Mr Bongani Bukosini, said, ‘We had a chance to participate in sport activities with different communities. We played soccer against local police and community members.’ 

Student, Ms Jennet Ngiba said: ‘The food on board was to die for: If I could take anything from the train, it would be the kitchen.’

Du Toit added that she also enjoyed sight-seeing around the rural areas. ‘But the most important things were getting a chance to touch people’s lives and seeing how grateful they were for your service. They called us doctors!’

The community calls the train, the train of miracles. ‘We gave them basic health care, but they showed real appreciation. One community member told me, the local clinic only sees 50 people a day.’

Ms Tanya Moodley, who was on board the Phelophepha in the first semester, said the following about her on-board experience:

‘We went to Mpumalanga and Limpopo but to be honest I really don’t know where to start, it was a magnificent, life-changing experience that I will never forget. From being a student with no travel experience which led to us taking the wrong bus and getting ourselves lost to the long hours of hard work on the train, I enjoyed it all,’ said Moodley

‘For me the highlight was seeing the faces of the community members, the joy that they experienced after receiving treatment and medication.  I could see the thankfulness and gratitude. It was really shocking because I saw medical conditions that I was never exposed to in Durban. There were times I had to call the sister in charge to help me diagnose a patient because I was in awe individuals could go through so much and still lack the health care facilities in their community.

‘What really touched me was when I asked a sister if I could come back to the train, her response was: “You will be accepted here any day, just come back as a sister”.’

‘I live with that statement as my daily motivation. All in all it was a great experience, great food, great staff, great atmosphere and lovely patients to work with - people who appreciate what we do.’

There was a language barrier, but they were able to overcome it through local translators. ‘We saw about 200 to 400 patients a day. We only knocked off when the last patient left. The staff on board treated us like colleagues, making us feel important.’

Nombuso Dlamini