XMAS COMES EARLY IN SHAMVA

Latwell Nyangu

A CHINESE medical team provided free medical diagnosis and treatment to hundreds of villagers in Shamva on Tuesday.

The initiative was organised by gold miner, Ming Chang Sino Africa, which provided a mobile clinic through which the villagers could access the 11-member medical team.

Brief lectures on malaria, HIV/AIDS and first aid were also conducted.

The Ming Chang initiative is part of a growing social responsibility portfolio for the company that includes road and school construction.

“We have been in Zimbabwe since March and we are the 20th mission on this long-standing government-to-government programme which has been running for 38 years now.

“We are working and moving around hospitals, sometimes supporting clinics as ordinary outpatients’ department (OPD) support.

“Sometimes, we share ideas around traditional Chinese medicine while looking at opportunities to expand departments in Zimbabwe’s health system,” said head of the medical unit, Zhang Yao.

Ming Chang general manager, Liang Guo Du, said the mine also donated drugs and traditional medicine.

“Villages from nearby are being assisted to reach referral centres by Ming Chang and the plan is to bring the medical team back or send it to a different area so that people get free medical care,” he said.