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Aurum deploys 100 staff for COVID-19 screening

Aurum deploys 100 staff for COVID-19 screening

More than 100 Aurum staff members were recently deployed to conduct door to door community screening for COVID-19, as part of our continued support to the national Coronavirus response.

The screeners, tracers and nurses from Aurum joined their counterparts from the Department of Health and City of Ekurhuleni conducting community screening at in several areas in Ekurhuleni recently.

Thobekile Finger, Aurum’s Technical Director for Health Systems Management, said the screenings were part of the national government’s campaign to prevent local transmission. “The reception is encouraging. Our health workers are going door to door to screen and raise awareness about COVID-19. What we are finding is that people expect to get tested without being screened. Our health workers are doing a great job educating community members but it shows that we need to constantly be sharing information, so people understand the process,” said Finger.

At the Marikana informal settlement in Kempton Park, community leader Jimmy Tladi, said accurate information went a long way to quell fears and calm anxiety. “What is happening today- seeing so many health workers in our community- not only serves the purpose of getting people (screened and) tested, but also for us to ask questions about this Corona (virus). As you can see these health workers are taking time to speak to people individually, teaching them how to prevent getting the virus,” he said. Tladi said they were grateful that the screening drive came to their community as it demonstrated the seriousness of COVID-19 to those who were still sceptical. “We live in close quarters here and if one person got Corona, it would spread very quickly so we can’t afford to have people who don’t take prevention and precautions seriously,” he said.

This sentiment was shared by Gauteng Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku who said community screening was to pick up cases to contain the spread of the virus particularly in densely populated areas. At Marikana, he also screened people and tested suspected cases in mobile testing units provided by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). Masuku thanked Aurum for the support in the COVID-19 response saying partnerships were important in the provision of health services, particularly in the time of Coronavirus. “We want a clinician led, patient centred and stakeholder driven health department in Gauteng,” he said.

Aurum continues to be a partner with government and other stakeholders in efforts to flatten the COVID-19 curve while continuing to render essential services in the TB and HIV programmes.


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