Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE Municipality has started building a new clinic to match the town’s growing population using devolution funds.
So far, the local authority has used ZWL116 million on the project from its allocation of devolution funds last year.
Town Clerk, Mr Loud Ramakgapola, said the town’s population was rapidly growing, hence the need to match its growth with the provision of critical services.
He said the new clinic located near White Lodge along the Bulawayo Road will service new suburbs, mainly those in the town’s northern part.
These include Tshitaudze (Ha Mangavha, PWD, Hlalani Kuhle area), Madinginye (New Medium Density) and Mabidi (Medium and Low Density) located west along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo Road.
“The town’s population is growing and this calls for us to increase the access of key services, including primary health care in the town,” said Mr Ramakgapola.
“So, with the help of devolution funds, we have been able to address service delivery challenges and at the moment we are now building a new clinic north of the town to cater for new suburbs.
“The main building is now at window level. We have used a total of ZWL116 960 976,99 from last year’s allocation.”
He said they were expecting the project to be completed as soon as possible. Mr Ramakgapola said the council was also sprucing up a building in the Tshitaudze suburb to house a satellite clinic in the meantime.
The facility, he said, will open doors soon pending inspection by the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
“We have also received a total of ZiG174 000 from the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA), which we are currently using to rehabilitate damaged roads. This includes fixing potholes in all our roads,” he said.
“In addition, we have put out a tender for the surfacing of the road from Shule Shule Business Centre to the Dulivhadzimu Bus Terminus. Our hope is to get a contractor who will do a good quality job for us. We expect civil works to begin as soon as we award the tender.”
Currently the local authority has one clinic near Dulivhadzimu Bus Terminus and there are at least six private surgeries and the Premier Medical Services polyclinic catering for the over 100 000 town population and 15 000 in transit daily who may need medical attention. Service delivery has gradually been improving in the town as the Government continues to avail more financial resources through devolution funds.
With its 2023 devolution funds, the council managed to digitise services, buy solar power back up systems to ensure it offers continuous services, and to upgrade the Local Authorities Digital Systems (LADS) for budget formulation and to construct a new clinic to improve primary healthcare facilities.
According to the latest municipality budget proposal, the local authority says it intends to build a poly clinic, construct 25 two-roomed houses, procure a 20 000-litre bowser to augment the firefighting services, a tipper, a 12-tonne roller compactor, an ambulance, install public lights, buy two service vehicles and drill two boreholes at strategic points.
Online Reporter