Secondary vaccination centre at Univen hall

If you are 35 years of age or older and residing around the University of Venda, you are welcome to receive your jab there. So said Limpopo MEC for Health Dr Phophi Ramathuba during the official opening of a secondary vaccination centre at the University of Venda’s sports hall on Tuesday, 27 July.

Ramathuba was joined by the vice-chancellor and principal at Univen, Dr Bernard Nthambeleni, and the Health Department in Vhembe’s senior manager, Mr Robert Sirwali.

This initiative forms part of the relationship built between the Limpopo Department of Health and institutions of higher learning. This site will be a secondary site to the current primary site at Tshilidzini Hospital to alleviate the current congestion at the Thohoyandou Health Care Centre.

The MEC will lead vaccinators from the Department of Health, nurses at the university clinic and final-year nursing students who had recently been trained as vaccinators. “The site, which will focus on vaccinating students and staff from the university, will also open to the public, especially now when our focus is mainly on those above 35. We believe the site will be even more relevant from the 1^st of September, when the vaccine roll-out will be opened for those above 18, as announced by the President, and institutions of higher learning do house the majority of that cohort,” she said.

“We appreciate the University of Venda for taking a lead in partnering with the health department by providing space for a much-needed vaccination site for the communities around Thohoyandou. They will not regret it. We are also happy that the space at Univen’s sports hall is bigger, as it will help to solve the congestion of people we get from our vaccination centres in the Vhembe region,” Ramathuba added.

Dr Nthambeleni was delighted when the department opened the long-overdue vaccination centre at the campus, and said it meant a lot to the university community. “We believe that vaccines save lives, and if all our staff and students are vaccinated, we believe we will be in a position to begin to resume our normal business of conducive learning and teaching. We are also pleased that our final-year nursing students are trained to provide vaccinations, not only here at our university, but also at the other vaccination centres here in the Vhembe region,” he said.

A media representative in Limpopo and correspondent at Limpopo Mirror, Silas Nduvheni, received his vaccination jab from the MEC herself. He was excited that the jab had finally reached the media as well. “As journalists we travel all over the country, searching for and covering news happenings. We meet many different people every day, and for us the vaccination means that our lives are safe and protected. The media have to promote the government programme and lead by example too,” Nduvheni said.

Date:29 July 2021

By: Silas Nduvheni

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