The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu Senior Reporter
VILLAGERS in Jowa, Tsholotsho, are optimistic about their health following the construction of a new clinic in Mpumelelo Village 2. The clinic, which has been under construction since 2010, is in need of funding so that it is completed. It is set to change the lives of the community that has been walking over 45km to access services at Tsholotsho Hospital or Mpanedziba Clinic.The contractor of the project said they needed a total of $30 000 for the completion of the project and if the funds were mobilised the clinic would be completed in four months.
So far the clinic has a reception, male and female wards, staff offices that are complete and what is left is the maternity ward, staff houses and toilets.
Chief Tategulu said Jowa has had no health facility for a long time and when the suggestion was mooted in 2010 to build one, the villagers took it upon themselves to contribute to its construction.“People contributed $5 per household to assist in the construction but this did not take us very far but we managed to start the construction,” he said.
Chief Tategulu said the villagers were travelling 22 kilometres one way to access health care services at Tsholotsho Hospital, which was very taxing for the sick, hence the need to complete the clinic in Jowa.The councillor for Ward 9, Mr Albert Moyo, said they also got assistance from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to construct the clinic.
“We applied when Cde Jonathan Moyo was the Member of Parliament and we received some funding which assisted us to be where we are today. We received 250 bags of cement and a manual brickmaking machine with the funding,” said Clr Moyo.
The Tsholotsho Rural District Council is also assisting the villagers by giving them a truck to ferry sand for construction from nearby Gwayi River. The chairperson for the building committee, Mr Vincent Nkomo, said the biggest challenge they were facing was that of finance to complete the clinic. “We need financial assistance to complete this exercise. As you can see, we have done half the work; all we need is to finish off and the clinic will be opened to the people,” he said.
The villagers also said they needed a borehole for the clinic as there was no water in Jowa. The nearby watering hole is overwhelmed by villagers. Clr Moyo said another challenge was that of HIV and Aids patients who had to travel long distances to access medication. He said patients needed to access the services as near as possible to avoid defaulting. The village leaders said a number of male folk of the area were in South Africa where they were working illegally so their partners were exposed to HIV and Aids. Community home-based care workers said they were also seeing red as they had to walk long distances to access clinics.
“We walk long distances to the hospital and clinics so as to get supplies that we use in our work. We have to attend workshops but we struggle as it is too far from where we stay so if this clinic is opened we can access services easier,” said Mrs Virginia Gumbo.
They also say ferrying ill people from their homesteads was a challenge as people die on their way to the hospital in donkey-drawn carts that take time to reach the hospital.
“People die on the way to hospital and it is sad. Our children are also giving birth at home as the clinics are far and we do not want that, we want them to be in a better environment than home when they are in labour,” said Mrs Gumbo.
