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Phyllis Kachere
Deputy News Editor (Convergence)
Mrs Emily Manzini (54) of Principe B Irrigation Scheme in Shamva South, Mashonaland Central says she normally forks out US$4 to and from Chakonda Clinic per month, which is 18km away to have her two-year-old grand-daughter immunized against childhood killer diseases.Her village is about 8km from the recently completed devolution funded Matanda Clinic which is not yet operational.
“But today, I will not spend that much on transportation. Although I have walked a long distance to get here to Matanda Clinic to have my grand-daughter immunised and to get my monthly hypertensive medication, I am grateful for this outreach.
“I won’t have to fork out money in transport fares. This is one of the major reasons why most children in my community are not immunized. The transport cost is beyond our reach,” said Mrs Manzini.
Matanda Clinic, while not yet operational was the venue for an integrated health care services outreach funded through the Government’s auxiliary, the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society’s partnership facilitated through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies funded by the USAid’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).
Mrs Manzini is one of the thousands of beneficiaries from Mashonaland Central’s two districts; Mazowe and Shamva identified by the Health and Child Care Ministry as having the lowest uptake for child immunisation and third dose booster Covid-19 vaccination who now receive doorstep health services through the integrated health services outreaches.
“Government, through the Ministry of Health and Child Care identified Mazowe and Shamva districts for this integrated health services outreach programme where emphasise is on child immunization and Covid-19 vaccination.
“There is still vaccination hesitancy among some groups such as some religious groups to accept vaccines and the uptake of the third dose (Booster) for Covid-19 remains significantly low at 7.7 percent. Research has shown also shown that the same goes for childhood diseases; primarily measles and poliomyelitis.
“The primary focus of the intervention will target marginalized, religious and rural areas in Mazowe and Shamva districts,” said Mr Elias Hwenga, the ZRCS secretary general.
He said the IFRC and its partners financed the transportation and health workers’ allowances during the outreaches in hard-to-reach areas of the two districts.
Mr Hwenga said:
“We are also embracing traditional and community leaders in all these programmes, while at the same time we are working with village workers to mobilise villagers.
“The intervention is meant to integrate childhood diseases’ immunisation with combating preventable diseases. The project’s objectives include improving the comprehensiveness of vaccination approaches as well as generating, analysing and using evidence.”
Ward 27 Councillor Emmanuel Chiyangwa in which Matanda Clinic falls under welcomed the outreaches and said they provided an opportunity for pregnant women, parents with children who are due for immunization and those with ill health to access services at their door step.
“Matanda Clinic will provide services to more than 12 villages, with the furthest coming from about 15km away. You can imagine how much the residents have been saved by this outreach in terms of transport fares.
“In most cases, some sick people hesitate to walk long distances or to Chakonda. But we are happy, Government will soon open Matanda Clinic and this outreach has come in handy,” said Cllr Chiyangwa.
At Logan Golden Stairs in Ward 17, scores of villagers also gathered at a farm house that is in the process of being converted into a clinic to access health services within reasonable distances.
Ward 17 Councillor Tamayi Zvidzai also welcomed the outreach as residents travelled long distances and crossing dangerous rivers to go to the nearest clinic at Wadzanai in Shamva.
“Ward 17 is an island. We have Mazowe and Pote Rivers bordering us with Arcadia Dam completing the circle. This creates a dangerous situation during rainy seasons as the sick and mothers who want to get health care sometimes fail to cross the flooded rivers. This outreach is very welcome. I am pushing during my term of office to have this farm house commissioned into a clinic for the community,” said Cllr Zvidzayi.
He said while it was his wish to have the clinic commissioned, there are certain outstanding works that still require funding.
“We are waiting for devolution funds to also build staff quarters and to make the necessary adjustments to the farm house for it to become a clinic. Government has been very accommodating and responsive to our needs,” he said.
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