Sixteen years ago, the most innovative and ambitious healthcare project in the history of South Africa, the Transnet-Phelopepha Train, was born. Those who have witnessed its value call it the “train of hope”.
As a mobile hospital, the train provides quality primary healthcare to South African communities where health services and medical infrastructure are otherwise unavailable. The train of hope has grown from a three-car clinic to an eighteen-car facility equipped with multiple clinics (optometry, pharmacy, dental, primary care) staff accommodations, dining room, kitchen, laundry, power and storage.
Each year, the train operates for 37 weeks, treats an estimated 45,000 individuals onboard and serves more than a million through its outreach programs into schools, villages and communities. It also provides training to volunteers in basic health care and students from tertiary institutions in dental, optometry, pharmacy, hospitality and psychology.
Rain or shine, the train covers more than 9500 miles of railroad a year, serving 250 meals a day and issuing 24,000 prescriptions.
