Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
A NEW clinic, at the Dumba area in Ward 2, Beitbridge East that was built using devolution funds and resources mobilised through a partnership involving the Beitbridge Rural District Council (BBRDC) and community members is set to open its doors soon.
The primary health care facility will service more than 6 000 people some of whom live in villages adjacent to the Limpopo River.
Currently, some villagers are walking or travelling for between 25km and 40km to access health services.
The project, which started in 2003, has been progressing at a snail’s pace due to resource constraints.
Civil works peaked around 2020 following the intervention of the Government through the devolution initiative.
The BBRDC provided the land and technical expertise while communities provided other materials including bricks.
The local authority’s chief executive, Mr Peter Ncube, said the clinic was part of the major infrastructure development initiatives they have implemented under the devolution concept.
“The clinic is being worked on outstanding issues that include the provision of a pharmacy,” said Mr Ncube.
“We are now at the procurement stage for the pharmacy construction materials. In addition, there is also a need to provide water.
“Once these two processes are completed, we will invite the Ministry of Health and Child Care officials to carry out a final inspection pending the clinic’s opening to the public.”
He said the council has already engaged a nurse and an environmental health technician pending the opening of the facility.
The council, he said, intends to use more devolution funds to build more schools, clinics and other key infrastructure.
Mr Ncube said they have been carrying out a number of infrastructure development projects using devolution funds.
In some cases, the RDC is working together with the communities in mobilising material resources and labour to ensure that the money is fully utilised to complete the projects within a short space of time.
Among other projects, the council has so far used part of the devolution funds to spruce up Shashe Clinic, repair roofs at Chabeta Primary School, supported the opening of Mazunga Clinic, completed building two classroom blocks at Nhovhe Primary School in Beitbridge West, which has started enrolling Early Childhood Development (ECD) learners.
It is understood that the council intends to build at least one more clinic in each ward to reduce the distance people are travelling to access health services.
Dumba Clinic Construction Committee chairman, Mr Kossam Mbedzi, said recently they drilled four boreholes which are powered by solar and built three by F14 houses for the medical staff.
He said an electricity power line had been erected and they are waiting for the final connection pending the arrival of a transformer.
Mr Mbedzi said they had also received 100 bags of cement from the local legislator Cde Albert Nguluvhe who is also the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution (Matabeleland South) to start the clinic project.
“We have had this dream of having a clinic in our backyard since 2003 and things were not moving until we got help from the Government around 2020,” he said.
“Our hope is that the new clinic will reduce cases of maternal deaths in the community which emanate from unsafe delivery methods administered in cases of emergency”.
At the moment some elderly women endure the challenges of walking for long distances with their children or grandchildren to access medical attention at the nearest facility.
Those with chronic ailments are accessing medical supplies at Shabwe or Dite or Beitbridge town.
