MUTARE Villagers in the rural areas of Chishakwe in Mutare South are dying due to lack of proper medication, the local headman has said. In an interview with The Zimbabwean On Tuesday, Headman Chishakwe said a number of his villagers had lost their lives as they could not raise the required amount for clinic fees.Besides that there is no medication at the nearest clinic (Zimunya Clinic). Most patients are now referred to Mutare to buy the medication at various pharmacies where the prices are impossibly high, he said. Chishakwe has appealed to the government to initiate ways of reducing medical fees in the rural clinics and improve the availability of medicines.
If this is not solved as a matter of urgency, I can see more villagers dying. He said the situation was being compounded by the higher rate of people who had succumbed to HIV/AIDS.
I have got villagers who have succumbed to ill health due to AIDS and TB. It is very difficult for them and the rate at which they are dying is a great cause of concern, he said.