More smiles for Hwange’s Leona Clinic

OLD Mutual Zimbabwe has donated a new ambulance, drugs and medical sundries to the newly commissioned Leona Clinic in Vulindlela, Hwange District as part of the organisation’s corporate social responsibility.

The clinic was built through a partnership between Buy a Brick Foundation and Hwange Rural District Council (HRDC), which used devolution funds availed by the Government.

The clinic was named after a local young woman, Ms Leona Sibanda, who as a young girl doing Form Two at Vulindlela Secondary School in 2014 survived a buffalo attack while fetching firewood.

It took several hours before she could be rushed to hospital as there was no transport to take her to the clinic while an ambulance crew that was called to ferry her demanded payment of US$176 upfront. The Buy a Brick Foundation team that was on the ground constructing a school requested Acting

Chief Mvuthu and HRDC to be allowed to build a clinic and the community proposed it to be named in honour of the survivor who had fractured a leg and spent more than a month admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo.

Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs Minister Richard Moyo commissioned the model clinic last week where he thanked the Government for implementing the Devolution Agenda, which has triggered massive development in the country.

Old Mutual general manager properties Mr Steven Kapfunde presented the ambulance recently saying it was an important asset as an emergence vehicle.

“We believe as Old Mutual that the communities we work with are more important and so we have brought a gift of an ambulance. We hope it will help in health services here,” he said.

Mr Kapfunde said Old Mutual also donated $10 million worth of drugs to the clinic to kick-start its services.
“Besides the ambulance, we have donated $10 million worth of medication to this clinic. This is the reason why as Old Mutual we came here,” he said.

The Second Republic has been encouraging public-private partnerships in its development approach to uplift livelihoods of citizens towards an upper middle-income society by 2030.

Leona Clinic is the 10th clinic by HRDC and is a model facility in the district with various services including maternity, waiting mothers’ shelter, outpatient care, family planning, immunisation, vaccination, HIV testing and counselling, TB and male circumcision.

Hwange District Medical Officer, Dr Rorisang Jamela thanked development partners for capacitating health in the district.

He said the clinic already has two nurses, a nurse aide and general hand staff with accommodation on site.

The clinic will serve over 3 000 people in Kachechete, Nemananga, Vulindlela and Jabula areas. “I call upon people to utilise these services. Health has been brought to us, we thank the community, leadership and everyone involved in this project,” said Dr Jamela. –@ncubeleon