Insiza District’s Avoca Hospital set for upgrade

GOVERNMENT has announced plans to upgrade Avoca Rural Hospital as part of efforts to enhance quality healthcare service delivery in Insiza District in Matabeleland South.

The upgrade works will cover the construction of a new mortuary and the recruitment of a medical doctor, as top critical needs in the community.

This development marks a significant milestone in the Government’s efforts to address the long-standing challenges faced by rural healthcare facilities, including inadequate infrastructure and a severe shortage of medical professionals.

Improving quality healthcare services at a local community level is critical under the Government’s National Development Strategy (NDS1).

Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Cde Sleiman Timios Kwidini, told Parliament on Wednesday that Avoca Rural Hospital, a primary level health facility, lacks a medical doctor staff establishment due to a shortage of health facilities.

“The Ministry of Health and Child Care has plans to construct a mortuary at Avoca rural hospital in the year 2024 once we receive a budget from the Treasury,” he said.

Cde Kwidini highlighted that the shortage of health facilities at Avoca Rural Hospital includes the absence of a theater, X-ray machine, and laboratory at the primary level health facility.

“The Government plans to establish outreach clinics at three rural hospitals – Avoca, Shangani, and Wanezi starting from the end of June 2024.

“The ministry is currently mobilizing resources to ensure the successful implementation of these clinics, which will involve deploying medical doctors to carry out duties at the clinics,” he said.

Rural healthcare systems have been plagued by numerous challenges over the years resulting in severe shortage of medical professionals, particularly in rural areas.

This has left many communities without access to basic healthcare services while inadequate healthcare infrastructure, including outdated facilities and lack of equipment, has further exacerbated the situation.

Many rural areas also lack access to basic services such as clean water, sanitation, and electricity, making it difficult to maintain even minimal healthcare standards. To address these challenges, Government has been working to upgrade healthcare facilities and equipment, recruit and train more healthcare workers, and implement programmes to improve access to healthcare services, particularly in rural areas. The plans to upgrade Avoca Rural Hospital and establish outreach clinics at rural hospitals are part of these efforts to improve healthcare services in rural Zimbabwe.

-@Lo7246Lovelyn