The Phelophepa train, “train of hope, train of healing”
Abstract
This article explores the significance of the Phelophepa train, also known
as the Phelophepa Health Care Train (HCT). This train started out with
only three coaches but because of the need for its services and its subsequent
success, it expanded to sixteen coaches in a very short period of time. Due to
the lack of primary health care services in rural areas in South Africa, Transnet
decided to introduce the train to assist in providing much needed primary
health care in remote rural areas where it is often the case that there is only one
doctor for plus/minus 5 000 patients. Good medical care is either unavailable
or unaffordable for many people due to limited infrastructure and the meagre
financial position of the majority of people in these remote areas. It was for
this reason that Transnet identified a niche in the primary health care system
and decided to invest in a project that would benefit the rural communities
who required medical care. Transnet, in conjunction with the South African
government and private companies, embarked on the Phelophepa HCT
project to provide much needed medical care in such areas of South Africa.
The name Phelophepa is derived from the Sotho and Tswana languages which
are two of the eleven official languages spoken in South Africa, and roughly
translated means “good, clean health”. It is a train that has become a well-known
and trusted beacon of hope in providing much needed medical care in
rural South Africa.