The Free State Department of Health, together with the University of the Free State (UFS), are taking hands to boost safety of Health Sciences undergraduate students and has initiated a programme to transport undergraduate students to and from the respective clinical platforms.
The Department of Health will be providing a fleet of six minibuses and combis, as well as drivers for the vehicles. The students will be transported from 06:00 to 23:00 every day as well as on weekends and public holidays, at no cost.
“This is the first initiative of its kind that the university has had with the provincial Department of Health. We are thankful for this initiative, as it will greatly assist in securing the safety of our students,” says Prof. Nathaniel Mofolo, Head of the School of Clinical Medicine at the UFS.
According to Prof. Mofolo, the decision to implement the transport programme was taken after student safety and wellness concerns were taken into consideration. “Although students can make use of the service on a voluntary basis, we have already received feedback that the service is being put to good use,” he said.
The initiative started on the morning of 8 July 2019, when groups of medical students boarded mini-buses and combis to the Pelonomi Hospital, National Hospital, Free State Psychiatric Complex, and the Mangaung University Community Partnership Programme (MUCPP).
