It takes teamwork to keep children healthy, and for this reason Sr Elana Stander and Nurse Mpfariseni Makhari join staff at Kayamandi Clinic on Fridays to speed-up care for young children.
Stander and Makhari head up the Child VIP Fridays initiative, which focuses on protecting children from severe disease through immunisation.
Moms and caregivers are urged to visit Stander and Makhari in their mobile clinic parked in the grounds of the clinic for quick assistance.
“Our records show many children are due for their routine immunisation,” says Operational Manager Sr Karen Levy. “If your child is not up to date with all their immunisations you are putting them at risk! Because babies and children are still growing their defences against diseases are not very strong yet. Thankfully, immunisation, vitamins and drops that the clinic offers for free give children a better chance of staying healthy and growing optimally.”
Many of the moms and caregivers who eagerly lined up at the mobile clinic on 25 November said they were aware of the benefits of immunisation. Many of them were not first-time moms, and they had seen that with immunisation they could save a lot of distress for themselves and their babies by keeping them healthy.
“This is quicker than the clinic,” said Mom Asiphe, who brought the almost 2-year-old Akuminto Mhatu for catch-up immunisations. “I come so my baby will stay healthy and strong, and be less sick. She was visiting her grandmother in the Eastern Cape. When she came back I checked and saw she was not up to date with her immunisation.”
Although Stander and Makhari focus their attention on immunisation on Child VIP Fridays, they use the opportunity to check the babies’ weight and ask questions about their development. In the first 1 000 days of life check-ups and questions such as these are very important. The more effort invested in babies between the time of conception and their second birthday the healthier they will be as adults. If necessary, the nurses will ask moms to go to the clinic for a check-up, or to return to the mobile later in December.
The Child VIP Fridays initiative runs until the end of December, excluding 16 December, which is a public holiday. Please check your child’s Road to Health booklet to make sure their immunisations are up to date. Everyone is encouraged to use the free services and support available at the local clinic.
