The most affected areas are found in the southern part of the district where about 15 wards that are heavily scattered, rely on two clinics.
Villagers from places like Ndlondla, Muriswa, Ganyani and Dendere, depend on Banga Clinic located at Mufiri Township, where they have to walk for an average of 13 kilometres each time they need health care.
The poor road network in the area makes it difficult for vehicles or ox-drawn scotch carts to navigate through. Villagers from Gamwa near Mushu Dam, ward 4, are the worst affected as they have to walk almost 24 km. Though Mukandapi shopping centre in ward 8 is credited with having a number of business enterprises, underprivileged villagers have to walk 12 km to access health care at Chachacha growth point. In ward 6, villagers mostly from Zvamatenga area face similar problems.
When The Zimbabwean visited Banga and Zvamavanda clinics, appalling conditions were witnessed with some of the nurses confirming they do not have the capacity to admit more than 10 patients at a time.
Birth on the pavement
In separate interviews, villagers narrated horror stories of still-births, women delivering at home or on their way to clinic, seriously ill people dying on pavements of shops at business centres after failing to get transport to the clinics and other chilling experiences.
Haddrington Kandororo, 25, a manager Mukandapi shopping centre, said he witnessed two cases of women who had given birth on the pavement of Mavunga store at the centre after they had failed to raise money for transport to take them to Mufiri clinic.
“It is so sad that this is a shopping centre yet there is no single clinic. The centre is along the highway for that matter and you would expect such a facility to be available. Most people cannot afford transport money to take them to the clinics. In the recent weeks, I actually witnessed two women delivering their babies on the pavement of Mavhunga grocery store because they had walked for a long distance from their homes and failed to get assistance of transport when they arrived at this shopping centre,” he said.
Nelson Mawarire, 77, owner of the said shop, said: “Those two incidents were just the tip of the iceberg. There are actually more cases that I encounter here including of people dying. People walk for very long distances from their homesteads and hope to get help to be transported to clinics by the businessmen at this centre like me. Others offer to leave things like mobile phones but sometimes we also will not be having fuel or our vehicles will have gone out for orders. What is needed are just clinics and hospitals which are within reach of people.”
Abraham Dandure, 49, a self-employed man from Zvamatenga village, said his wife suffered the same problem of early delivery in 2009 on the way to the distant Chachacha clinic while his aunt almost died after delayed medical attention last month. He pleaded with authorities to act on the problem.
Worse at night
A peasant farmer from Makaru village, under Chief Ndanga, Muchoro Makanisa, 42, said villagers suffer the most if they encounter health problems at night.
“They will be scared to walk through the forests in the dead of the night so they will stay at home while conditions worsen as they wait for dawn. We have a big problem,” he said.
Rosemary Batau, 28, a cross-border trader, warned that if the problem of health institutions is not solved, there would be more sad stories that will come out of Shurugwi.
A teacher at New Gato primary school, who refused to be named fearing victimisation, challenged government to walk its talk and ensure health care is accessible for all.
No room
Solomon Makuvaza, 83, said what boggled the mind was the fact that while majority of people complained of the distance to the clinics, few challenged conditions that exist at those institutions.
“Recently I visited Banga clinic and was told that I could not be admitted because the spaces had all been occupied. Even though my condition was bad I was told to go the other clinic. That is another problem that should be solved,” he said.
Proprietor of Machumi Investments in ward 8, Edweck Machumi, said the responsible authorities who are yet to act upon the health crisis, were burdening the business people who were already batting to be viable.
“Some of the people come here and say help us with cash to go to the clinic, we will give you a goat or some roadrunners in turn. It’s so difficult. The problem is dire and it needs someone at the top to solve it. Let the clinics be near the people,” said Howard Bangama, 62, another business man at the centre.
Milton Chemhuru, the Provincial Medical Director, was unavailable to comment. Cecilia Chitiyo, the Provincial Administrator was said to be out of office attending a workshop in Masvingo and she was not available on her mobile phone. An official at the provincial minister of state, Jason Machaya’s offices, said he could not comment as he was locked up in meetings.
Post published in: News