Wellness campaign targets Harrismith truck stop

After the successful launch of the Engen Driver Wellness Campaign in the Eastern Cape in October last year, Engen - in partnership with Trucking Wellness, the Department of Roads and Transport and the Department of Health - continued the wellness drive when they visited the Engen Highway Junction in Harrismith, Free State earlier this month. The Driver Wellness initiative is aimed at raising awareness around health issues that have a direct impact on road safety by helping drivers to manage their wellness better. In 2011 more than 400 drivers were screened at four Engen Truck Stop sites. The Wellness Days run from Engen truck stops and some retail sites, targeting long- distance truck drivers who are sometimes on the road for up to two weeks at a time. In Mobile clinics, qualified nurses and counsellors screen drivers and the public for blood pressure, diabetes, tuberculosis, BMI (Base Mass Index) and HIV/AIDS. They provide counselling and a referral service where required. Last Wednesday evening at the Engen Highway Junction in Harrismith, truck drivers voluntarily underwent screening tests for diabetes, hypertension and HIV and AIDS. This Truck stop is one of many stops around the country where the drivers rest overnight, after spending long hours on the road during the day. “It is reassuring to note that of the 119 drivers that were screened more than 50% voluntarily tested for HIV,” a spokesman said.