Stellenbosch University
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Impacting sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health issues in the Dunoon and surrounding areas
Author: Division for Social Impact
Published: 21/11/2018
This initiative, a partnership between Stellenbosch University (SU), Sharing Abundant Life Together (SALT) and the Department of Health (DoH), largely serves the Dunoon area where many women are HIV positive and unemployed. There is a huge gap between the capacity for services and the needs of the community.

SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences works closely with SALT, an NPO for social justice that seeks to bridge the gap between public and private healthcare. “Accessibility, education and information need to be there for the most vulnerable in our communities as well. We are passionate about women’s health in its entirety: mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and socio-economic,” said Sandra Warne of SALT. “We also assist women in applying for ID books, birth certificates and grants and offer a counselling service ranging from unemployment and life skills to prostitution and human trafficking. We believe in equal rights and dignity for all.”

During the course of the year, Johnson & Johnson’s baby products division provided training and information on baby baths and massage and basic skin care for newborns and children to SU’s midwifery students. The information and skills were then passed on to the mothers at SALT. Forty-three students gave informational talks to 120 women and they were coached in the topics of immunisations, breast examinations, diarrhoea and danger signs, contraception, baby massage and baby baths. The women could then pass this information on to family, friends and community members. “As a midwife I can improve the lives of women and children and make an impact on the first 1 000 days of a child and beyond,” said Sr Amy Howes.

“What we learnt is the importance of developing personal skills by speaking in a language that a woman can understand. We empower women by educating them and this will help strengthen our community and our nation. Our desire is to re-orientate health services from the treatment of disease and traumas to the prevention thereof. By creating a supportive environment for health services, we create a non-judgemental attitude towards people’s choices, lives and opinions. We want all women to know that we are here for them. This also creates a trust environment – it is very important that nurses have a non-judgemental attitude. The realities of women in different communities, such as lack of transport money, can prevent them from accessing a pharmacy in cases of emergency, for example for anti-diarrhoeal medication. One has to look at the problems realistically and inform them of what they can do in an emergency for themselves or their children. It was a humbling experience to witness the big social need within the community and the need for basic education,” said Sr Amy Howes.

During the course of the year, advanced midwifery students partnered with SALT and had a wellness day with 80 women. They took blood pressure readings, weight and BMI and performed urine analyses and pregnancy tests to get a general idea of the women’s health. They held a talk on reproductive health and family planning and spoke about antiretroviral adherence. They provided oral and injectable contraceptive options on the day and once again, it was highlighted that the women do not have access to basic information and have inadequate access to basic preventative healthcare measures.

On 7 August, as part of women’s month, in collaboration with SALT and Pink Drive, students conducted breast exams for the women of Dunoon and the public. They saw 158 women and did breast exams, health education and demonstrations about breast self-examinations. Women with access to private medical care did not need any follow-up. Sixty women were referred for follow-up, five of which were malignant and did not have access to private medical care. This shows an unequal experience in terms of women who have access to private healthcare and those who do not.

There is a serious lack of access to information among women in Dunoon and a lack of access to basic healthcare. The existing healthcare is overburdened and results in long waiting periods that cannot accommodate follow-up periods for women needing injectable contraceptives. As a result, unplanned pregnancies arise. There were many other issues raised as well – social, emotional and mental health issues. Students were there to listen to the women and could contribute to the fight against breast cancer.

Students involved in this initiative experienced personal growth in terms of project management skills, increased their personal knowledge and gained the opportunity to be of service to this community. The gap between public and private healthcare needs to be bridged. There needs to be more collaboration between SU, the DoH and NPOs in this regard and more of these health promotion and screening days going forward.