On February 4, the world commemorates World Cancer Day. The goal is to educate and motivate people about its prevention, early detection, and treatment. The Union for International Cancer Control took this initiative to campaign and advocate for the World Cancer Declaration’s targets, which were drafted in 2008. With this emphasis on health, patients of government clinics can now pick up their chronic medication from a nearby Post Office rather than a government clinic.
Patients who live or work closer to a post office than a government clinic will benefit from the service. The main advantage of the service is the extended service hours. On weekdays, post offices are open until 17:00, and on Saturdays, they are open until 12:30.
Except for the Western Cape, the collection service is available at 342 post offices across the country. These post offices were chosen because they meet the Department of Health’s requirements. Medication that needs specialised storage, such as cold storage, cannot be picked up at a Post Office.
According to the South African Post Office, waiting times at Post Offices have been reduced since the collection point for SRD grants was relocated to a supermarket – another benefit for patients.
“Patients of government clinics who would like to collect their medication from their local post office, should arrange it with their clinic. When the medication is ready for collection, the Department of Health sends the patient an SMS, and patients have 14 days to collect it before it is returned to the Department of Health,” said SAPO.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation. Breast, lung, colon, rectum, and prostate cancers are the most common.
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