Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
HWANGE Rural District Council, with a population of 69 367 people is operating without an ambulance, forcing locals to hire private cars that charge exorbitant fees.
While the district has clinics, major medical complications require villagers to travel to Hwange town where there is Hwange Colliery Company-run hospital and St Patrick’s Hospital in Empumalanga surburb.
In an interview yesterday, Ward 15 councillor, Cllr Cosmos Mwakiposa said deaths have been recorded in his ward due to the non-availability of an ambulance especially from those families who cannot afford to hire private cars to ferry them to a hospital.
He said an ambulance that was donated by a local safari operator broke down some months ago and council has not been able to meet the cost for repairs. Cllr Mwakiposa said the vehicle is stuck in Victoria Falls.
“As Hwange Rural District Council, we have no ambulance. Villagers hire private cars when seeking medical attention. We have been raising this matter as councillors, but there is really nothing happening in trying to correct this anomaly. We got a donation of an ambulance from a local safari company, but it broke down and hasn’t been repaired up to now,” he said.
“People are dying due to failure to timeously access medical services as a result of this challenge.’
Ward 15 has two health facilities, Songwa and Lupote clinics that serve 4 997 villagers with a total of 1 293 households.
Government recently called on rural district councils to utilise part of their devolution funds by investing in ambulances so that they are able to meet health needs for locals.
Speaking in Parliament recently in his capacity as acting leader of Government business, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Dr David Musabayana said Government expects to be expeditiously briefed by RDCs facing ambulance challenges so that interventions can be done to address the challenges.
“It is the expectation of Government that the RDCs will use part of the devolution funds to purchase the ambulances that may be required. As Central Government, we also look forward to submissions for those areas where there are no ambulances so that the Central Government can also do some interventions to ensure that there are ambulances in all districts,” he said.
Dr Musabayana said health is a constitutional requirement for the country’s citizenry, — @skhumoyo2000
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter