By Phesheya Ian Kunene
MAFUTSENI – When the sun rose over Mafutseni this morning, so did the spirit of service. Community Health Motivators leader Flora Sihlongonyane was quick to salute the health professionals who turned the Mafutseni Primary Healthcare Centre into a sanctuary of healing.
“This outreach has brought life to our doorstep,” she said. “Our people are getting help they could never afford. Dr. Sakhile Masuku is a hero among us, and we thank her for pushing this dream into action.”
The outreach is powered by a dynamic collaboration between UNESWA Health Sciences Faculty (Mbabane Campus), Georgetown University, the Ministry of Health, AHF Eswatini, Diabetes Eswatini and the National TB Programme.
Healthcare workers revealed that more than 500 people had been helped by midday, with hundreds more still arriving. The event runs the entire day, offering free services like mental health consultations, HIV testing, TB screenings, vaccinations and curative care.
Dr. Fortunate Shabalala, Head of Faculty, said the outreach is more than a monthly health service, it’s a social movement. “We are addressing the core issues before they become crises,” she said. “We’re not waiting until people are too sick to help. We are empowering communities with information, access and compassion.”
The outreach is part of a long-term plan to establish a Centre of Excellence at Mafutseni. The facility, donated by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, was once used to house road engineers during the MR3 highway project. Today, it stands repurposed as a beacon of hope.
And hope is exactly what you’ll find here. “Health is a human right,” said Dr. Shabalala. “We’re turning that slogan into action, one community at a time.”
Mark your calendars: this is happening every third Thursday of the month through December. Mafutseni, health is home.
