Samsung Africa recently launched a mobile solar-powered health centre, in Cape Town, marking the start of a large-scale medical initiative on the continent.

The centre is designed to reach as many people as possible, as regularly as possible, and is built for use in remote rural areas. It is mounted on a truck and staffed by qualified medical professionals.

The centre aims to eliminate the economic and geographic barriers that prevent people from having access to high-quality medical treatment. It will move from area to area and provide eye, ear and dental care, besdies others.

The main focus is on screening people for diabetes, high blood pressure, tooth decay and cataracts. The centre will also focus on educating communities about health issues and encourage them to get tested as a preventive measure.

The medical products for this project will be provided by Samsung’s partners, including the Department of Health and pharmaceuticals companies. Other partners include medical universities and organisations that are involved in healthcare.

Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital trustee and medical expert Dr Mandlalele Mhinga says that Samsung Africa’s broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy involves a sustained focus on education, healthcare and rural connectivity, in line with the company’s worldwide Hope for Children initiative.

In addition to CSR, the com- pany develops products designed for African conditions and meets the demand for skills with its education programmes, namely the electronics engineering academy, the solar-powered Internet schools, the solar-power generator initiative and the e-learning centres, all of which support the development of African thought leadership and the advancement of electronics engineering in Africa.

Samsung’s goal is to reach one-million people through its solar-powered health centres by 2015, as part of its CSR goal to positively impact on the lives of five- million people in Africa by 2015.

Samsung Africa has provided medical services for rural areas for several years through its yearly employee-volunteer programmes, explains Samsung Africa business-to-government and corporate citizenship lead Ntutule Tshenye.

He adds that the company realised that medical services in rural Africa should meet people’s basic needs so that they can benefit from Samsung’s CSR strategy.

According to the World Bank, more than 60% of people in sub-Saharan Africa live in rural areas. Many lack the time and resources to reach clinics for medical care and, in South Africa, 80% of the population is served by the public health sector, which is struggling to provide proper care.