Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu [email protected]
MORE than 60 clinics have been constructed across Matabeleland South since 2019 using devolution funds as central Government and councils work to improve access to healthcare and address infrastructure gaps in rural communities.
The investment has helped bring health services closer to rural communities that used to travel long distances to access the services.
Most clinics now have added facilities such as waiting mothers’ shelters which has improved healthcare services for expectant mothers.
The healthcare developments form part of the Second Republic’s wider provincial transformation drive supported by devolution funds, which have also financed construction of classrooms, roads, bridges, water and sanitation infrastructure as well as tourism-related projects.
Speaking during a social development, gender and social protection thematic committee meeting in the province, Matabeleland South’s provincial director for economic affairs and investment, Mr Richmond Ncube, said the funding had helped bridge development gaps that had previously left some communities travelling long distances to access essential services.
He said devolution funding had played a critical role in addressing long-standing infrastructure deficiencies in Matabeleland South.
“The devolution fund has played a critical role in Matabeleland South. The province has been lagging behind in terms of development but the situation has dramatically changed because of devolution funds,” said Mr Ncube.
He said more than 60 clinics have been built across the province since 2019 when the devolution was introduced and children from the province who are in the diaspora have also come on board to complement Government efforts to improve livelihoods.
Matabeleland South provincial medical director, Dr Andrew Muza, said the expansion of health infrastructure was part of efforts to improve geographical access to healthcare across the province’s seven districts.
He said several health facilities were under construction while waiting mothers’ shelters were being established at different institutions.
“There are a number of health facilities which are under construction across all seven districts of the province, which will help to reduce distances walked by patients. We are also seeing construction of waiting mothers’ shelters across facilities, which will go a long way in improving access to health services,” said Dr Muza.
He said the province was also addressing human resource challenges through initiatives aimed at increasing the output of trained nurses, including the opening of a nurse training school.
Matabeleland South director of Local Government Services, Mrs Gloriah Murera Raundi, said devolution funding had strengthened the capacity of local authorities to improve service delivery and respond to community needs.
She said the funding was provided in line with Section 301 (3) of the Constitution, which provides for the allocation of not less than five percent of nationally raised revenue to provincial and local tiers of Government.
“With the five percent coming to local authorities, this helps to boost service delivery. For example, some have used the funds to improve waste management, provision of clean water and improved sanitation.
“There is also an improvement in the number of health facilities. For example, we recently witnessed the commissioning of Ngwana Clinic in Bulilima,” she said.
Devolution funding has supported 55 health sector-related projects, 35 infrastructure projects covering roads, bridges and sewer systems, 36 water, sanitation and hygiene projects and 12 tourism projects.
The funds have also facilitated the construction of schools and waiting mothers’ shelters, as well as the rehabilitation of existing health facilities.
Some local authorities have acquired earthmoving equipment and other service vehicles, commonly referred to as yellow machines, to improve road maintenance, servicing of residential stands and refuse collection.
Devolution is one of the key development pillars under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which seeks to promote accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and socio-economic transformation as Zimbabwe pursues its Vision 2030 goal of attaining an upper-middle-income status.
