The Health Train - 16th July 2021

This station is in South Africa. But the train isn’t waiting to take passengers on a journey. It's offering people free health services.

The train, which is full of medical equipment, includes dentists, opticians and mental health workers. It’s providing hundreds of people with treatment.

Retshephile Mosena is a law student. Her eyesight’s bad, but she can’t pay for an examination or glasses.

Restshepile Mosena: "Glasses are really expensive! Eye tests are expensive and the glasses are even more expensive, so I couldn't really afford them at the time, ja. So I was kind of saving up to buy glasses for myself, but this opportunity came up and I took it."

South Africa’s the richest country in Africa. But it has high levels of poverty and unemployment. Many can’t afford healthcare.

Thompho Sadiki, one of the train’s opticians, enjoys helping people.

Thompho Sadiki: "It's, it’s, it’s great, it's great. Some, sometimes you, you, you, you can even hear it from the, you know, from the heart when you are helping someone who, who has never been exposed to, to health service. Then you can see – well yeah – you have done something for, for, for someone, yes."

The train was set up in 1994, which was the year apartheid ended in South Africa. It began life with three coaches. Then, it just offered treatment for eyesight problems.

The train travels across South Africa 9 months a year. It’s now grown to 19 coaches, which provide many more services. It even has a pharmacy.

Train manager Thelma Sateka says the service is essential.

Thelma Sateke: "Well, the hundred percent health coverage is, is still not about to be reached any time soon. So, the train still has a lot to do in that regard to bring the services to the rural areas, where services are non-existent at some point or, or they are very rare."