Health and Safety Awareness week with a favourable outcome
Health and Safety Awareness week with a favourable outcome
Demonstrations during the Health and wellness week
Qhawekazi Memani
The Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Goldfields Library, in collaboration with the Institutional HIV and AIDS Unit (IHAU), Occupational Health Practioner and Safety Department, hosted its annual health and wellness campaign week from 17- 21 September 2018 at the VUT main campus as well as the Ekurhuleni, Secunda and Science Park satellite campuses.
A huge number of students was seen coming through to the stalls to be tested, get information and raise issues affecting their youth. The Health and Safety awareness campaign week seeks to highlight that safety is everybody’s business. The organisers of the event say that the path to safety means challenging beliefs, changing behaviours and continuous health and safety checks.
Stalls were set up in all four campuses affording the VUT community the opportunity to have various blood tests and health checks and to listen to talks on HIV/AIDS basic facts, sexually transmitted infections(STI’s), various infections and their causes, contraceptive methods, emergency contraceptive (Morning after pill), implanon insertions, termination of pregnancy (TOP), condom demonstration, PrEP therapy for students at high risk of contracting HIV infection and PEP treatment rape cases.
VUT Goldfields Library representative spoke to the students about issues pertaining to student cards. She said students must, under no circumstances, give anyone their student cards and asked that the students use the library services in a manner that is respectable.
HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinators at IHAU, gave information sessions that encouraged students to get tested and know their status so that they can graduate alive.
Antiretroviral therapy(ART’s) is available and prolongs life, to the HIV positive test results.
On issues relating to termination of pregnancy (TOP), emphasis was put on that everything has consequences despite the south African Constitution”.
Students were urged to preserve their bodies for marriage.
The Occupational Health Practioner was there to monitor the biometrics of students and staff for the rest of the campaign.
The Safety Department representative said: “Safety today, safety Yesterday, Safety Always”. Safety is important everywhere and it is important to follow safety signs”. The Safety Department has plans to conduct safety trainings in the near future.
Parallel to safety talks and stalls, CPR demonstrations and fire demonstrations were conducted to teach the students what to do when presented with an emergency situation.
Overall picture of the event, the students said the sessions had been very informative and they appreciate what the departments are doing for them.
Students were impressed by the CPR and fire demonstrations. Students at satellite campuses are yearning for more initiatives to be taken, especially for female students.
