Roche expands support for South African healthcare project

Roche has expanded its support for the Transnet-Phelophepa Healthcare Train project, a long-running scheme that provides improved healthcare access to people living in rural South Africa.

In association with Transnet Foundation, the company has inaugurated a second Phelophepa Healthcare Train, thus doubling the capacity of an initiative that allows medical supplies and services to be transported by rail to inaccessible areas.

Having begun with three refurbished and equipped railway coaches in 1994, the original train is now an 18-coach clinic on rails that offers a diabetes care programme and oncology clinic, a medicine dispensary, school health services and education programmes for health workers.

It is estimated that 5.5 million people have benefited from the project to date.

Franz Humer, chairman of the board of Roche, said: "This is an immensely important philanthropic engagement for Roche. Roche is proud to have continuously grown its support for the Phelophepa healthcare train during the 18 years of our sponsorship."

Earlier this year, the company provided a grant to Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in order to help set up a new cancer care programme in Ethiopia.