The Honourable Minister Richard Kamwi launches Bophelo!, the wellness mobile health testing program

Mister Abner Xoagub from the Ministry of Health and Social Services cuts the ribbon.

Press Release PharmAccess Foundation, Windhoek, 31 March 2009

• Health services coming to the workplace
  
• Two certified and licensed mobile testing units, ‘Daisy’ and  ‘Tate Petrus’, on the road to the workplace
  

On 31 March 2009, the Honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, launched the Bophelo! Wellness Testing initiative which will bring health screening services to the workplace, using two mobile testing units : ‘Daisy’ and ‘Tate Petrus’.  The mobile testing units are vehicles which have been converted into fully self sufficient health facilities, licensed and certified by the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

The Bophelo! initiative is hosted in a partnership between the Namibia Business Coalition on AIDS, PharmAccess Foundation Namibia and the Namibia Institute of Pathology, as part of the private sector response.

The collective aim of the partnership is to support both private and public workplaces through the provision of wellness related testing on site at the workplace.  Bophelo! provides on site testing of blood pressure, body mass index, blood screening for glucose, cholesterol and haemoglobin, as well as testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and Syphilis in a single consultation. Pre-and post test counselling are provided as part of the service. Individuals receive their wellness results immediately on site, in a confidential personal consultation with a Bophelo! wellness assessor, whilst anonymous statistics of the testing are provided to the organization at the end of the testing process.

The first mobile testing unit, Daisy is sponsored by project Okambilimbili, by funding received from the Nationale Postcode Loterij, in the Netherlands, through Stop Aids Now!, the Dutch Aidsfonds and HIVOS, in partnership with PharmAccess Foundation. The second mobile unit, Tate Petrus is sponsored by the Namibia Global Fund Program through NABCOA. The sponsors of the program also subsidize the costs of wellness screening during 2009, due to which the services can be provided to companies at a cost of N$37.90 per person.

Interviewing the Minister of Health and Social Services Richard Kamwi in front of ‘Daisy’

The mobile units will assume duty on 1 April 2009 and have a full schedule planned until the end of the year. Companies interested in making use of the services can contact NABCOA on (061) 37 8750 or PharmAccess Foundation on (061) 30 7711 .

For the press
More information can be obtained with:

• Ingrid de Beer, General Manager PharmAccess, 081 1276161
• Peter van Wyk, Program Manager NABCOA , (061) 37 8750