Rumbidzayi Zinyuke in NYANGA
NYANGA District has gone six months without recording a maternal death and four months without a perinatal death, marking a major milestone in rural healthcare delivery despite staffing and resource constraints.
Perinatal deaths refer to stillbirths and the deaths of newborns within their first seven days of life.
The gains were highlighted on Wednesday during a tour of Nyanga District Hospital by Health Service Commission (HSC) commissioners, who assessed service delivery and staff working conditions.
Nyanga District Medical Officer Dr John Muungani credited the turnaround to the commitment of health workers in providing timely care.
“For the past six months, we have not recorded any maternal death in the district. We have also not recorded any perinatal death in the last four months. The district hospital would like to commend our staff for the great work that they are doing in preserving maternal and child health services in the district,” he said.
Previously, the district recorded three to four perinatal deaths every month and up to two maternal deaths annually. Nyanga District Hospital handles about 120 deliveries monthly, while the entire district records roughly 300.
Beyond maternal care, the hospital has upgraded its laboratory to offer advanced diagnostic services previously unavailable locally.
“We have managed to equip our laboratory to do quite several tests that are needed by clinicians in the district. We are currently doing biochemistry tests that are previously not being done in the district,” Dr Muungani said.
The expanded menu includes kidney and liver function tests, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and glycated haemoglobin tests for diabetes management. Upgraded microbiology services also allow staff to run culture tests on blood, urine and stool samples, sparing patients costly trips to private facilities.
“We used to do these tests in the private sector, but now we are offering them in the district hospital,” he said.
Nyanga has 32 health facilities, including five hospitals, serving an estimated population of 160 000 people, with Nyanga District Hospital acting as the main referral centre.
HSC Deputy Chairperson Dr Rugare Kangwende praised staff for sustaining quality care under tough conditions.
“We were particularly impressed by the work they are doing in difficult conditions without enough staff. For the past four months there has not been a single mother who died in childbirth,” she said.
After touring the wards and laboratories, Dr Kangwende said the Commission would address administrative grievances immediately while engaging stakeholders on broader policy challenges.
“Some of them are easy to solve, others are of a policy nature, and therefore, as we go back with the Commission, we are going to look at each issue, discuss with the different stakeholders and solve each issue as we come,” she said.
The outreach aligns with Zimbabwe’s push for universal health coverage under Vision 2030, which relies on equipped facilities, reliable diagnostics and motivated personnel to curb preventable deaths in rural areas.
