Renault assists women’s health campaign in KZN

Renault South Africa has stepped up to the plate with Renault Fleet sponsoring three vehicles to assist the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Health (DoH) with the rolling out of its Phila Ma Campaign, which literally translated means “be healthy woman”.

This campaign seeks to create awareness around the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening and also to spread the message that early detection saves lives.

Valerie Ratsoma, who’s responsible for the national government’s fleet at Renault Fleet, says that her first thought on hearing about the campaign was: “How can we be of help?”

It was quickly established that Phila Ma was in urgent need of sturdy vehicles that would be able to cope with the challenging road conditions encountered in many of the outlying regions which the campaign serves. Renault Fleet answered this call by sponsoring two vans, a Trafic 1,9 dCi D Panel and a 1,6 8V Kangoo Express, and a 1,6 Sandero Stepway hatchback.

“We acknowledge and greatly appreciate the generous gesture by Renault Fleet,” says Bongani Khanyile, fleet manager for the KZN DoH. “Not only has it provided sponsorship for the Phila Ma campaign, it has also provided transport to our department in times of need.” He adds that Renault has undoubtedly subscribed to the philosophy of government and the private sector forging good partnerships to improve service delivery.

Phila Ma is actively providing essential health screening services that have largely been lacking for women at community level. It has also adopted a woman-to-woman approach, dubbed “Save a Sister”, which not only increases knowledge about cancers and the benefits of timely detection, but also explains how a responsible attitude and healthy lifestyle can save lives.

In addition to breast and cervical cancer screening, other services include: HIV/Aids and TB testing and counselling; pregnancy screening; family planning and child health care advice; blood pressure and blood sugar screening and referral, where necessary, to treatment programmes.

Fabien Payzan, vice president of marketing at Renault South African, says: “Renault takes its social responsibility commitment very seriously. We feel privileged to be able to work together in this small way with the KZN DoH and help save lives in these communities.”