Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital has provided 50 medical interns with specialised training on how to sensitively screen for intimate partner violence (IPV) and administer a rape kit – in acknowledgment of Women’s Month, reports the Cape Argus.
Kristy Evans, who is the Executive Director at the Groote Schuur Hospital Trust, said the programme instilled a sense of compassion and care in their staff, and changed how they responded to these types of cases.
“Many women who walk into our hospital carry the silent weight of violence. This intervention gives them a moment of safety, of being seen and supported, often for the first time.
“Gender-based violence and IPV can be defeated when we work together… and ensuring every person in the healthcare system knows what to look out for,” she added.
Evans hoped the initiative would be expanded to every hospital in the province.
Health and Wellness MEC Mireille Wenger said the medical interns join hundreds of doctors, nurses, clerks, and even cleaners at Groote Schuur and Mitchell’s Plain Hospitals, who have already been trained to provide compassionate, trauma-informed care to survivors of violence.
The IPV Intervention Project was launched by the provincial department in 2022, aimed at routine screening for IPV, conducted by specially-trained nurses.
Nearly 30 000 women have been screened at Groote Schuur and Mitchell’s Plain Hospitals through the programme, which uses a simple seven-question digital survey.
Those who screen positive are offered immediate onsite counselling or can choose to receive information on how to access help later.
Healthcare workers may also refer suspected cases directly to an on-site GBV social worker.
Referrals are made, where needed, to external services such as the police service, shelters, or legal support.
Follow-up with patients takes place two to three weeks after the initial counselling session.
“It’s already making a difference, with more than 1 200 women having opted to receive counselling after screening, and with 418 being referred to external support partners,” Wenger said.
She added that the Groote Schuur Hospital Trust was exploring how to expand the intervention to hospitals across the province, with plans to launch the programme at Heideveld Community Health Centre later this year.
Cape Argus PressReader article – Groote Schuur interns tackle GBV (Open access)
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