Government rolls out health outreach for artisanal miners

Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, [email protected]

GOVERNMENT and its partners are rolling out health outreach programmes targeting small-scale artisanal miners as part of efforts aimed at addressing growing concerns that the group has limited access to health services.

Reports show that artisanal miners account for a majority of lost-to-follow-up HIV patients, sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs), tuberculosis, silicosis and other diseases.

Speaking during one of the outreach programmes in Gwanda last week, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) project medical principal Dr Munyaradzi Sidakwa said the outreach programmes will help the country achieve health goals.

He said small-scale miners are specialised groups whose healthcare needs should be met for the country to record progress in terms of treating and preventing diseases such as HIV, TB and silicosis.

MSF is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, pandemics and natural disasters.

“We have a programme that targets artisanal small-scale miners and the communities around them. The greatest challenge facing artisanal miners is that they live in places that are far away from the health facilities,” said Dr Sidakwa.

“It’s hard for them to reach the facilities hence during such programmes, we go to mining sites and give the service there. We try and give a service that is comprehensible and addresses most challenges that they face which are HIV, TB, silicosis, STI, drug and substance abuse and they also have a lot of mental health issues.”

Dr Sidakwa said the uptake was overwhelming as the miners appreciated the effort to bring healthcare services closer to where they operate.

“One of the main pleas is for the services to be continued and expanded. We noted some main gaps in this particular group and partnered with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to conduct outreach programmes in places which are closer to where they operate,” he said.

“We have noted that the loss of follow-up rate is high in this group when it comes to issues related to HIV and Aids. Most of the STIs came from this group and the main aim is coming up with ways of how we can reach them and ensure they are healthy people.”

A recent study shows that only a handful of artisanal miners sought healthcare services when sick.