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Health Reporter
Harare Municipality plans to establish health centres in new settlements around the city.
This follows realisation that residents of Southlea Park, Ushewokunze, Kuwadzana Extension, Hopley, Caledonia and Whitecliffe do not have health centres near them.
Most of the residents do not have adequate safe water and rely on boreholes, exposing them to diarrhoeal diseases.
City health department director Dr Prosper Chonzi on Friday said in some instances, makeshift clinics and old farm houses were used for rudimentary health services.
He said those needing more services were referred to clinics from surrounding suburbs within 3km walking distance.
“The city will acquire two mobile clinics this year to service new areas and is already working with Newlands clinic mobile unit to service Dzivaresekwa extension,” he said.
Dr Chonzi said diarrhoeal diseases were “suspiciously too low” in the settlements.
“This could be a result of serious under-reporting as poor water and sanitation is a good recipe for disease outbreaks,” he said.
Dr Chonzi said the city has a system in place to monitor the outbreak of diseases like typhoid and cholera.
Online Reporter