‘Rural areas require more health facilities’

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Government must construct more health care facilities in rural areas, as the majority of people living in these communities are failing to access quality health services, Rural Development, Preservation and Promotion of National Culture and Heritage Minister Abednico Ncube has said. He said it was also important for Government to upgrade other primary health care facilities and to equip referral hospitals with modern machinery and drugs.

Minister Ncube made the call while addressing a capacity building programme held by the National AIDS Council (NAC), and members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care in Beitbridge on Sunday.

“One of the challenges the rural community is facing is that of walking for long distances. When they get there, some health services are not available and they end up being referred to big cities and towns for further management and it gets worse when they are asked to pay for services.

“The worst affected are cancer patients and others with conditions which require specialist services. As representatives of the people, we say this cannot be acceptable. I am therefore placing my hopes on your visits, hoping that you will assist us to address some of the challenges,” he said.

He said some of the gaps in service delivery needed a multi-sectoral approach.

“I am informed that you managed to interact with key populations, among them sex workers, people living with HIV and youths, in addition to touring various health centres. I am confident that as lawmakers you will take these observations to Parliament and raise them for debate and relevant policy interventions,” said Cde Ncube.

He said Matabeleland South’s proximity to Botswana and South Africa had made the risk of HIV and tuberculosis for people in the area and mobile populations even higher. “There is a lot of risk for multi-drug resistance tuberculosis among our people living with HIV. Some of them for various reasons, do not return to collect their medicines at the initiating centres, ending up borrowing or buying drugs wherever they are.

“When they finally return home, they will have already developed resistance and are usually at a point of death,” he said.

NAC director of communications, Ms Medelina Dube also implored the parliamentarians to lobby for a larger budget allocation for the upgrading of Beitbridge Referral Hospital, which offers critical services to the daily transit population of 10 000, and local residents of around 130 000.

The hospital is currently operating with a 1 991 staff establishment, which is inadequate.