Boost for Chingwizi Clinic

George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Government has deployed 15 more nurses to Chingwizi Clinic in Mwenezi where seven nurses are struggling to service more than 30 000 people. The staff shortage had compromised service delivery at the newly established health centre. The deployment brings to more than 20 the number of nurses permanently stationed at the clinic built specifically to cater for people displaced by the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam in Chivi.

Masvingo provincial medical director Dr Amadeous Shamu confirmed the deployment of more nurses at Chingwizi Clinic. We recently deployed additional nursing staff to beef up our team at Chingwizi and the situation has improved tremendously. We have a team of permanent staff that is now stationed at Chingwizi Clinic and we hope this will improve health delivery at Nuanetsi Ranch and surrounding areas,” he said. Plans to deploy more nurses to the remote clinic were being affected by a Government freeze on recruiting more employees as part of efforts to reduce the civil service wage bill.

“The ministry recently got the nod to recruit nurses to staff areas that had shortages and Chingwizi Clinic benefited from the development because we took the opportunity to move more nurses to the area,” he said. There were initial plans to deploy 45 additional nurses at Chingwizi, but Government decided to send 15 permanent staff.

Staff at the clinic had earlier this year complained of under staffing at the institution where they were working for 24 hours a day without shifts. Chingwizi Clinic was recently upgraded into a state-of-the-art modern facility with a maternity wing after the National Aids Council funded the project. The clinic was upgraded by artisans from the Zimbabwe National Army as part of a programme to assist communities. Initially, the flood victims at Chingwizi used to get medical attention at a temporary clinic built by an Italian non-governmental organisation, Cesvi, which set up the facility to assist flood victims soon after their relocation from the flooded Tokwe-Mukosi Dam basin in 2014.