Renault drives health care in KwaZulu-Natal

Literally translated Phila Ma means "be healthy woman" and on hearing about the campaign, Valerie Ratsoma, who is directly responsible for National Government Fleet at Renault Fleet said her first thought was: "How can we be of help?"

Quickly established was that the campaign was in urgent need of vehicle sponsorship, sturdy vehicles that would be able to cope with the challenging road conditions encountered in many of the outlying regions that Phila Ma is serving.

Arduous task at hand

The Renault Trafic 1.9 dCi D Panel and 1.6 8V Kangoo Express van,s as well as the 1.6 Sandero Stepway hatchback, were immediately identified as being the Renault vehicles most suited to the arduous task at hand and a "no strings attached" sponsorship deal has now been concluded.

"Efficient and effective transport to support service delivery and enable the KwaZulu-Natal Health Provincial Department to provide quality health care is the backbone to the upliftment of the poorest in our society," said Bongani E Khanyile, KZN health provincial and departmental fleet manager.

"We acknowledge the role and greatly appreciate the generous gesture by Renault Fleet, not only through their sponsorship of Phila Ma campaign, but also their ability to provide transport to our department in times of need. Undoubtedly, Renault has subscribed to the philosophy of government and the private sector forging good partnerships to improve service delivery."

Breast and cervical cancer screening

The Phila Ma campaign seeks to create awareness of the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening and also to spread the message that early detection saves lives.

More than simply spreading the word however, Phila Ma is providing essential health screening services that have largely been lacking for women at community level. The campaign has adopted a woman-to-woman "Save a Sister!" approach that not only increases knowledge about cancers and their timely detection within these communities, but also explains how a responsible attitude and healthy lifestyle can save lives.

In addition to breast and cervical cancer screening procedures, services include HIV and TB testing and counselling, pregnancy screening, family planning and child health care advice, blood pressure and blood sugar screening and the referral, where necessary, to treatment programmes.