adminEllah Mukwati Herald Correspondent
Harare City Council requires $2 million to expand three clinics and increase the scope of services offered at the local authority’s health institutions, a senior city official said yesterday. The city wants health facilities to operate theatres, have 24 hour casualty and emergency departments with doctors’ coverage.
The move is meant to de congest referral hospitals that include Harare Hospital, Parirenyatwa and Chitungwiza Central.
City health services director Dr Prosper Chonzi, yesterday said the clinics, which would also be equipped with laboratories, would help in reducing infant and child mortality.
He said city clinics were ill-equipped to the extent that they could not handle even minor operations. Dr Chonzi was speaking during a meeting with residents associations.
“The city has taken the health of its citizens in a good way especially women for they no longer have to suffer and travel long distances in order for them to give birth. Decentralisation of services is going to help in the case of emergencies and also help to cut costs, “he said.
He said council would like to involve the community in such projects.
“Partnering with residents in development of local clinics will go a long way in solving problems faced by communities. Committees have already been set up in all the clinics to make sure that residents are involved in every decision.
“We are going to have a monitoring tool where residents can post their complaints and comments on the behaviour of council employees who work under the department. This platform will assist residents to say out their problems and ensure that we remove all elements of corruption and stubbornness by our workers as we are moving towards the city’s vision to become a world class city by 2025,” Dr Chonzi said.
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