Villagers pool resources to build clinic
VILLAGERS from Diba in Bulilima District, Matabeleland South Province have pulled together resources and are constructing a clinic to reduce the distances they travel to seek medical services.
Most locals in the area travel about 10km or more to access the nearest health centre. Councillor for the area, Melusi Nkomo said the initiative to construct the clinic was community driven and was motivated by the need to reduce distances especially to expectant mothers and the elderly. He said they hoped for an allocation of devolution funds which they will use to finish the construction.
“We were promised devolution funds but we have not yet received anything yet. We just can’t stop and wait for the funds. If they come they will complement what we have already done as a community,” said Clr Nkomo.
Project chairperson Mr Femani Dabangane said once the clinic is complete there is going to be easy access to healthcare and medication for pregnant women and the elderly.
“This project is a brain child of Diba community. We started in 2018 after we realised we were walking painful distances as the nearest health facility is almost 10km from our community. It was also a way of improving the standard of living of our community and lower mortality rate. There are no donors.
“The project is bankrolled by Diba locals who felt the need to have such a facility. We therefore, solely depend on pledges from locals and we buy building material using these contributions, we mould our own bricks and we provide other materials that we can.
“We are also getting assistance from villagers who are in the diaspora through a committee that we put in place to pull together resources. Our clinic structure is at window level and we are waiting for the council’s approval,” he said.
Mr Dabangane said the community initiative dovetails with the “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo” philosophy of President Mnangagwa where emphasis is placed on community involvement for development. He said apart from the long distance to the nearest health facility, there are rivers which are impassable during rainy season.
“As a community we believe that one day this clinic is going to help a lot of people, not only Diba locals but also people from different places as we wish for it to provide access to family planning services, cervical cancer screening, access to free HIV and Aids testing, counselling and easy collection of medication. Like any other clinics we want our clinic to provide people with different services including maternal health service and ARV supply,” he said.
The co-ordinator of the project, Mr Dumisani Mantula, said they were excited by the development and called on the council to consider allocating the community part of devolution funds to complete the noble project.
“We are happy about the prospect of having a health facility that is close to us. We appeal to the Government to provide us with the requisite resources to finish off the noble community initiative.
“We hope the clinic will offer services to pregnant women, children under five years, immunisation programmes and to help those that are suffering from chronic diseases to get their medication without walking torturous distances,” he said.