Umzingwane villagers face clinic challenges

19 Apr, 2015 - 00:04 0 Views

The Sunday News

Dumani Moyo
VILLAGERS in Shale, Umzingwane District, are forced to walk long distances of up to 15 kilometres to the nearest clinic, a situation which has forced pregnant women to deliver at home.
Speaking during a policy dialogue, organised by Habakkuk Trust at Esigodini, Mr Dumisani Nkomo, the trust’s CEO, said the purpose of the meeting was to bring villagers close to service providers in order to capacitate them.

“We have organised action teams among the villagers to research and bring their issues to ward level and get them close to the service providers. Now we understand that the villagers in some parts of the district are resorting to walking long distances for health services. This puts their lives in danger,” he said.

Umzingwane Rural District Council chairperson Mr Dojiwe Sigola said the villagers in Shale have gone for long without a clinic in the area.

“Since 1984 the people of that area had been trying to establish a clinic in the area. With the objectives that are being taken at the moment we are hoping to finish the project of building a clinic. The project has started because the site has been identified. What is needed is unity and funding from different stakeholders,” he said.

As the dialogue was taking place, the villagers were raising issues on how the lack of a clinic had affected them. They also appealed to relevant stakeholders for assistance.

In interviews with Sunday News, the villagers said the routes to the alternative hospitals were mountainous and could not be used by the sick.

Mr Gelot Moyo, a villager at Shale, said their lives were always in danger.
“It is difficult for the sick people to walk such a long journey with the paths going through hills and rocks. Just imagine what will happen to the person suffering from diarrhoea or cholera walking 15 kilometres, and this might lead to the spread of the disease,” he said.

Shale village head Mr Judah Ncube challenged the villagers to be supportive to the project rather than relying too much on donors.

“We appreciate what is happening in our village because we all need a clinic to be close to us. Villagers should be united and contribute towards the building of our clinic and we will be progressive. We do not need to be always asking for assistance at the same time failing to prove that we are willing to be helped,” said Mr Ncube.

 

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