Engen Driver Wellness conducts free health camp for truck drivers
Running in its seventh year, Engen Driver Wellness has once again brought health to the front seat for truck drivers by providing them with free health screenings. Engen officially launched the annual programme on October 1, as part of National Transport month. It will reach 19 sites in four provinces during October.
Oct 05, 2018: Running in its seventh year, Engen Driver Wellness has once again brought health to the front seat for truck drivers by providing them with free health screenings.
Engen officially launched the annual programme on October 1, as part of National Transport month. It will reach 19 sites in four provinces during October.
Truck drivers in Gauteng were invited to receive free health screenings. Mobile clinics were set up at selected Engen Truck Stops and retail service stations. The screenings are conducted by qualified nurses and councillors and include blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, BMI (Body Mass Index) and HIV/AIDS tests. The drivers will also receive free meals, caps and water bottles after each assessment.
Engen’s corporate social investment manager, Adhila Hamdulay said that the main aim of this initiative is to improve health through awareness.
A clear indication that this intervention is making a difference is the marked increase in the number of individuals using the services. In 2017, 3,217 drivers took advantage of the voluntary health screenings of which 44 percent were found to have some form of concern.
Abnormalities included being over-weight or obese, which accounted for 20 percent of drivers; 3.5 percent tested high for glucose levels and cholesterol.
Five per cent of drivers tested high for blood pressure and 3 percent screened tested positive for TB. Drivers who tested positive for HIV totalled 6.7 percent and just over 2 percent tested positive for STI’s.
Hamdulay added, “As testing is voluntary, the incremental acceptance of health management as a path to longevity and well-being are important indicators that health empowerment is gaining traction. Given the long and lonely hours long haul drivers spend on the road and the stresses associated with the job, these interventions form a critical pillar of support.”
“The Engen’s Driver Wellness campaign continues to have a massive all-round impact for both drivers and their families, who benefit from reduced exposure to diseases and greater longevity of a breadwinner,” stated Hamdulay.
