By Phesheya Ian Kunene
MAFUTSENI – The queues started forming before sunrise, and by midday, over 500 residents of Mafutseni had received free medical care as part of a new health outreach initiative taking place at the Mafutseni Primary Healthcare Centre.
The initiative, a collaboration between the University of Eswatini Health Sciences Faculty (Mbabane Campus), Georgetown University, the Ministry of Health, AHF Eswatini, Diabetes Eswatini and the National TB Programme, aims to bring healthcare directly to rural communities, no travel costs, no long waits, just timely help at your doorstep.
“We are bringing healthcare back to the people, before it’s too late,” said Dr. Fortunate Shabalala, Head of the UNESWA Faculty of Health Sciences.
“Our healthcare system is often reactive, but with this outreach, we’re shifting gears to prevention, early intervention, and education. That’s how we save lives.”
Today’s event featured a wide range of services, from TB and non-communicable disease (NCD) screenings to child vaccinations, HIV testing, mental health support, and curative services for minor ailments. And the good news? It’s not a once-off.
“This is not just a campaign, it’s a commitment,” said Dr. Fortunate Shabalala, one of the lead organisers of the programme.
“We’ll be here every third Thursday of the month. We’ve turned an old road engineers’ facility into a community health hub, and we’re not looking back.”
According to Dr. Shabalala, the outreach is part of a broader vision to establish Mafutseni as a Primary Healthcare Centre of Excellence.
“We’re responding to real gaps that were identified in a health needs assessment, gaps in mental health, NCDs, HIV, TB, and even gender-based violence response. We’re building a system that’s community-led, integrated, and sustainable.”
The upcoming outreach dates are July 18, August 21, September 18, October 16, November 20, and December 18.
For Gogo Jabulile Nkambule, 84, the impact is personal.
“I got all the help I needed. I didn’t have money to go far, but here I got treated and respected,” she said, her voice filled with gratitude.
