By Phesheya Ian Kunene
MAFUTSENI – It was a day of life-saving miracles at the Mafutseni Primary Healthcare Centre, where over 500 residents received free medical services, and three women narrowly escaped deadly strokes thanks to sharp-eyed health professionals.
Dr Fortunate Shabalala, Head of Community Health Nursing at UNESWA’s Faculty of Health Sciences, confirmed that one of the women was rushed to a referral hospital after registering dangerously high blood pressure above 200mmHg.
“She had no idea she was walking around with a silent killer. These are the very lives we are fighting to save with this outreach,” Dr Shabalala said.
The outreach, which began early in the morning, saw long queues of community members receiving services ranging from TB screening to cancer checks.
The joint initiative is organised by UNESWA’s Health Sciences Faculty (Mbabane Campus), in partnership with Georgetown University, the Ministry of Health, AHF Eswatini, Diabetes Eswatini and the National TB Programme.
Shabalala said their goal is to flip the healthcare narrative from crisis mode to prevention. “We don’t want to wait for people to fall critically ill. That’s how lives are lost. We are tackling illnesses before they escalate, right here, where people live,” she added.
From HIV testing to mental health support, eye care, dental services, vaccinations for children and screening for non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes, every corner of the facility was buzzing with activity. For many, like 84-year-old Gogo Jabulile Nkambule, the services came as a lifeline.
“I was one of the first in line today. I don’t have money to go far, so this helps us a lot,” she said, clutching her clinic card. “I was treated well and got everything I needed.”
Behind the scenes, nurses in training from UNESWA were busy attending to patients, gaining real-time experience under the guidance of senior medical professionals.
Dr Sakhile Masuku, one of the organisers, said the outreach has evolved into more than just a monthly clinic.
“This is a movement. We are not just diagnosing, we’re educating, empowering and mobilising. Public health starts with the people,” she said.
The outreach is held at a repurposed facility donated by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, once used as accommodation for road engineers during the MR3 Highway project. Now, it’s been transformed into a Primary Healthcare Centre of Excellence (PHC CoE), a model the team hopes to replicate across the country.
Flora Sihlongonyane, leader of the Mafutseni Health Community Motivators, praised the initiative and called on residents not to miss future sessions.
“Dr Masuku and her team are changing lives. We are seeing diseases we didn’t even know we had, being caught and treated early,” she said.
She encouraged residents to attend the next sessions, noting that the outreach is now monthly, every third Thursday, with upcoming dates confirmed as July 18, August 21, September 18, October 16, November 20, and December 18.
Meanwhile, UNESWA officials confirmed that this model is part of a larger national strategy to build resilient, community-centred healthcare systems.
“We’re laying the foundation for long-term, integrated primary care,” said Dr Shabalala. “We’re not just running clinics, we’re future-proofing public health in Eswatini.”
As the sun set over Mafutseni, exhausted but satisfied doctors, students and community health workers packed up. Another outreach complete. Another community empowered. Another 500+ lives touched, and three definitely saved.
