For a long time, a large number of the people in Ward 23 of the Nyajena District of Masvingo South used to travel long distances – sometimes 10 km, 15 km, 20 km, and even more – to access a health facility. Imagine how those distances impacted on the illnesses of such people. Now not any more. Thanks to the Second Republic’s devolution policy, there is now a brand-new clinic located at the heart of Ward 23, the Mavizhu Clinic – and it has brought such joy to the locals. Baffour Ankomah reports.
Just off the untarred piece of the road to Renco Mine, at Mavizhu, close to Rupike, in Nyajena District, sits a brand-new clinic that has brought abounding joy to the people of Ward 23 of Masvingo South. Thanks to devolution, these Zimbabweans who used to travel 10 km, 15 km, 20 km, to access a clinic or a hospital can now be treated at the Mavizhu Clinic which opened its doors to patients on 19 November 2022.
Built by the Masvingo Rural District Council (RDC) from devolution funds, the clinic has come as a God-send. “Before this clinic, people were travelling long distances to reach the nearest health facility,” explains Martin Mubviro, the CEO of the Masvingo RDC.
“Some were going to Muchibwa clinic, 10 km away from here. Some in fact were travelling 15 km, 20 km to the nearest clinic, and around 60 km to the main hospital at Morgenster. The community is now happy with this clinic. On the day it was officially opened, the community was overwhelmed. They were very happy to have this clinic.”
Completed at a cost of around 37 million RTGS (because of exchange rate volatility), the clinic now attends to an average 115 patients a week, according to the registered general nurse/midwife in charge, Jemina Divirimine.
She confirmed Mubviro’s point that before the clinic was built, people were going 15 km away to access a medical facility. “The community is very pleased, very happy,” Divirimine said. “They are no longer travelling long distances to reach a clinic.”
The clinic came with a beautiful staff quarters, which incidentally is not enough to accommodate all the medical staff needed to run the clinic. “We need to construct more staff accommodation,” Mubviro told Brick by Brick. “The current one is not enough.
“We intend to construct one more staff house because we can’t increase the number of staff as the accommodation is not enough for them. The Council drilled a borehole and provided solar-powered electricity for the clinic and staff quarters. The borehole also serves the community.”
But the nurse in charge, Divirimine, said the electricity was not enough for the clinic, and they also need two sheds where mothers and outpatients will wait their turn to receive treatment.
“We need more staff and staff accommodation,” Divirimine said. “Apart from the sheds for mothers and outpatients, our benches and chairs are also not enough. And there is no electricity here, except in the clinical area where there are solar lights. So we need electricity.”
This compelled the RDC chief executive to promise more electricity and a shed this year. “Yes, we have plans to add more electricity,” he said. “It will be done this year.
“We also have plans to construct a shed outside the clinic for patients by the end of the year. You know everything is determined by the availability of resources. On the average, it takes us 2 months to complete a shed. So as soon as we get our devolution funds, we will do it.”
