Doctors, nurses out to eliminate disease outbreaks

at eliminating causes of potential disease outbreaks among farmers at the three tobacco auction floors in Harare.
The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) in partnership with Life Ministries, Jabula, Health Professionals Empowerment Trust (HPET), 24Hour Mabelreign Medical Centre and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare were last Friday offering free medical services at Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF).
The team comprising 10 doctors, three nurses, one medical laboratory scientist and one pharmacist said they would alternate visits to the floors until the end of the tobacco selling season.
They also have an ambulance to transfer emergency cases to hospitals.
“Potential for an outbreak at all the auction floors can not be overruled since the sanitation is overwhelmed,” said ZHDA vice president, Dr Evans Masitara.
“After realising the huge numbers of people gathering here to sell their tobacco and the potential risk of disease outbreaks such as diarrhoea and other infectious diseases, we just thought it is wise as part of our social responsibility programme to respond to this worthy cause,” chairman of HPET Dr Brighton Chizhande said.
He said during the programme, they would be doing check ups and giving prescriptions to those needing medication.
“The campaign is also the doctors’ way of giving back to the community and supporting farmers who are bringing in foreign currency in the country,” he said.
The doctors, however, appealed for assistance from the corporate world to procure medication needed during the programme.
They said with enough funding, they also hoped to print t-shirts, pamphlets, hats and caps for easier dissemination of health education messages.
Sanitary facilities at the auction floors were too little to match with the numbers of people they are expected to serve.
Farmers interviewed at TSF embraced the doctor’s idea to assist them with free medical care, as most of them could not afford to be treated at the clinic within the premises initially meant for the workers only.
Although the clinic is now open for all farmers, they further claim that they cannot afford the consultation fees of US$10 a visit.
“The public toilets are not properly cleaned and therefore not healthy to use and we appreciate what the doctors have decided to do for us as farmers,” said Francis Makuwire a farmer from Nyamakate village in Karoi.
The theme of the campaign is “Rarama urime zvakare”, citing the importance of the physical well being of the farmers for them to continue with farming.
The campaign began on April 29 and is expected to continue until the end of the tobacco season.
Farmers from various parts of the country are bringing in their tobacco and there is potential for cholera outbreaks and infectious diseases such as HIV and AIDS.