The Sunday News
Nokukhanya Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council with the help of donors has completed the construction of four waiting sheds at clinics that specialise in the treatment on tuberculosis as a way of improving infection control and patient comfort.
The sheds were built in Cowdray Park, Princess Margaret Rose, Dr Shennan and Pelandaba clinics. Some of the stakeholders that partnered the council in the project are the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) through funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The council’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said the sheds will go a long way towards the control of TB transmission among patients and staff. She said the council will continue to provide quality primary health care services through its 19 clinics.
Mrs Mpofu said through the World Bank Results-Based Financing programme, the council has made improvements at Thorngrove Hospital and Nkulumane targeting maternity and child care.
“The support resulted in improvement in reproductive health programme with a 32 percent increase in women who came for booking in 2016 compared to 2015. Six clinics were refurbished during 2016 using RBF funds to improve quality of patient care. It is, however, sad to note that the support will end in February 2017,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu said HIV services continue to increase the clinics’ workload. The city clinics have over 45 000 patients receiving ART in the 16 ART centres and service delivery has been affected due to shortage of nurses.
“The employment of nursing staff will be dependent on the improvement of council’s financial position,” said Mrs Mpofu.
She said this year, the Health Department was aiming at expanding the Antiretroviral Treatment programme to three more clinics (Princess Margaret Rose, Cowdray Park and Dr Shennan).
“We also intend on strengthening the differentiated care model in the provision of ARVs and implement the test and treat or treat all policy. We intend to renovate a room at one of our clinics (Pumula) and create a microscopy centre, thereby bringing TB diagnosis closer to the residents. Results-Based Financing in terms of HIV care for children will be continued,” she said.
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