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SAVE – People in Save district near Chiredzi are increasingly affected by eye diseases, malaria and drought. The area is currently experiencing a severe drought accompanied by high temperatures which encourage the breeding of mosquitoes on a massive scale. Residents say the situation is made worse by the desperate shortage of medical facilities in the area.

Save is a huge and over-populated area in region 5. Malaria is rampant and AIDS and malnutrition also cause many deaths. Health facilities are poor, people are uneducated on how to combat diseases and food is scarce to feed under-nourished bodies.

Residents are forced to walk up to 15 kilometers to reach the only clinic in the area, called Ndali clinic. Chamett Makuni, one of only 3 qualified nurses at the clinic, say they work long hours to cope with an increasing number of patients every day. Most patients either suffer from malaria or complain about eye pain because of the severe dry conditions and malnutrition.

“We feel so helpless because we do not have medicine for all the people” said Makuni. “To make it worse, we expect the number of patients to increase next year. The Department of Health must take action soon or we face a crisis of massive proportions.” Sick people are often turned away from the clinic without treatment by the nurses because of unavailable medical supplies.

Many deaths can be directly attributed to the lack of education and inadequate information about AIDS, coupled with the shortage of anti-retroviral drugs for treatment of HIV-Aids. “People desperately need to be informed about the use of condoms, the importance of abstinence from irresponsible sex, and being faithful to one partner,” said Amos Njenjekwa, one of the male teachers at Mupinga Secondary school. He added: “The problem affects everyone in the village, from parents to school children.”

Chamett Makuni says pregnant women and infants are the ones most affected by malaria and eye diseases. She says the Department of Health used to provide pregnant women with mosquito nets but has now stopped because malaria has become so rampant in the area that they cannot cope with the demand. She urged the community to use mosquito repellent and other appropriate products to reduce the rapid spread of malaria. According to Makuni, malaria gained the upper hand in the area after efforts to control its spread were disbanded due to a shortage of repellents, countrywide.