Vusumuzi Dube
Obey Sibanda
What is it like for elderly and people living in poverty to take the afternoon off to go see a doctor?
Not only do they forgo badly needed income or leave their vending stores, but often they must also find someone to watch their children, then scramble to catch a ride or come up with bus fare – only to spend five minutes with the doctor and leave with a prescription that does not address their most pressing concerns.
For people living in poverty, going to the doctor can be a huge ordeal and an incredibly stressful experience.
Mrs Chipunza from Emakhandeni suburb says last week she abandoned her vending store and dashed to the doctor. So she, that day, did not make any money that she normally would have, because she did not sell anything.
When she actually got to the doctor, she waited in the waiting room for more than one hour just to see the doctor and then once she finally walked into the office, the doctor spent five minutes with her. She did not get all of her concerns addressed, and she felt like she was being rushed out the door.
“Why did I take all this time off work, and spend money on transport, just to go and spend five minutes with a physician?” she asked herself.
Mrs Chipunza’s sorrows were washed away when she came face to face with expects in the medical field who expressed keen interest in attending her medical needs at the health Expo held at Wozawoza shopping centre in Emakhandeni.
The event that was launched in Luveve which is spearheaded by Brian Samuriwo Foundation sponsors free medical health check-ups and free medication has brought smiles to the Emakhandenni residents as over 500 people were in attendance.
Comrade Samuriwo is the Zanu- PF aspiring Member of Parliament for Luveve/ Emakhandeni constituency in the harmonised 23 August elections.
His foundation, a non-profit organisation that he founded years ago, assists the less privileged including capacitating youths with self-sustaining projects such as carpentry and brick laying projects.
Several doctors, nurses and a pharmacist were onsite at Shopping Centre in Emakhandeni for the free medical services.
Hordes of people mostly the elderly thronged the shopping centre to access the services, which Cde Samuriwo said was a non-political event meant to benefit all residents of Emakhandeni.
“We like to thank our hounarable Cde Samuriwo for his generosity. This program didn’t only save us money which we dont have but also time that we spend in queues waiting to be attended by the doctor at hospitals,” Said Mr Esau Ncube, an Emakhandeni resident.
Another resident a Mrs Sicelo Ndlovu praised the doctors who take their time to listern and give them medical guidance.
“Unlike hospitals doctors who are only interested in our monies, these doctors listern to us and give us medication which is not affordable to many of us. ,” said Ndlovu.
Cde Samuriwo emphasised the importance of giving back to the society which he gives credit for grooming him to be the man he is now.
“I was raised in this consituency that i want to serve as their Member of Parliament and some of the elderly women and men I’m seeing here today are my parents and this is a way of giving back to the community that raised me,” he said.
The Brian Samuriwo Foundation also assists bereaved families in Emakhandeni and Luveve by availing a truck to ferry firewood, water and food for free to bereaved families.
Online Reporter