Matobo villagers get free medical treatment
MATOBO villagers yesterday received free medical treatment from an outreach held by the Zimbabwe Medical Association (Zima) and the Islamic Medical Association in Zimbabwe (IMA) at Matopo Rural Hospital.
The outreach included dentists, surgeons, physicisans, cardiologists for children and the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe which has been supplying the outreaches with medicine. Cervical Cancer Screening (VIAC) was also offered.
Dr Henry Kuzanga, the secretary-general of ZIMA in the Matabeleland regions said the aim of the medical outreach was to bring hospital facilities nearer to the people.
“We are targeting mainly the remote areas around Matabeleland, those areas whose people cannot afford medical assistance. Our aim is to give back to the society, we are bringing medical services nearer to the people,” said Dr Kuzanga.
Dr Kuzanga said the outreache programmes were done free of charge. He said they identify problems that were affecting people and transfer the patients to general hospitals.
“We are treating patients free of charge. In a situation where we carry out an outreach at a hospital with all the required equipment we perform a surgery. That is what we did in Binga where a number of people were operated on. However, if the hospital has no theatre we identify challenges and refer the patients to Mpilo or United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) to be treated free of charge,”said Dr Kuzanga.
Dr Matthew Mthunzi the acting district medical officer for Matobo District said the outreach gave people the opportunity of consulting doctors.
“This outreach has really benefited people because they have had the opportunity of consulting doctors regardless of the emergency of their condition and the outreach also cut the distance people travel to Maphisa District Hospital for treatment,” said Dr Mthunzi.
Dr Mthunzi, however, said that the district needed more specialist doctors in pediatrics, gynaecology and medicine. He said the district also faces a challenge of a sound ultra scan and it has insufficient medicine to cater for people, for that reason people travel long distances for medical attention.
A villager who had travelled from Silozwi to seek medical attention at the outreach said she was happy about the programme.
“This is a once in a life time programme. We are very happy to have such doctors in our midst, we just hope this will happen again,” said Mrs Dube.
Dr Cherifa Sururu the chairperson of the Islamic Medical Association of Zimbabwe (IMA) said the outreach was made possible by different organisations working together to help the society.