A NEW state-of-the-art private clinic, North Haven Medical Centre, has opened in Beitbridge and it offers specialist services that were not available in the border town.
The eight-bed medical centre is fully equipped with a laboratory to carry out more than 50 different tests, an electrocardiogram (ECG), which records the electrical signal from the heart to check for different heart conditions, diagnostic ultra sound, oxygen machines and a full dental unit.
Officially opening the medical centre at the weekend, Beitbridge East legislator, Cde Albert Nguluvhe implored the private sector to complement Government efforts in improving the country’s health delivery system through investing in healthcare services.
“While the Government has covered a lot of ground putting up key infrastructure such as clinics using devolution funds, Constituency Development Fund and other grants, citizens can have more of such facilities if the private sector and the corporate world also invest in such facilities,” he said.
Cde Nguluvhe commended North Haven for heeding Government’s call for the private sector to invest in health facilities such as clinics.
“If we pool resources together and complement Government efforts, we will be able to bridge the deficiency gaps in service delivery,” he said.
Cde Nguluvhe said the Government has always emphasised the need for a private sector buy-in as itimplements its comprehensive health services delivery strategy meant to improve the quality of services offered by both private and public health facilities.
The Second Republic is in this regard working on re-equipping public health facilities that include clinics and hospitals which apart from being provided with equipment and consumables, are receiving new ambulances.
The Government has this year procured and distributed 32 ambulances to central, district and provincial hospitals while the process of procuring 28 buses for the public hospitals has been completed.
Officially opening the Gampu Rural Health Centre last week, Vice-President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Health and Child Care Minister, said next year, the ministry will focus on re-equipping and refurbishing of public hospitals and clinics including tiling, paving, plumbing and also ensuring there is constant water supply.
Cde Nguluvhe said there is also a need to reduce the distances travelled by people in rural areas to seek health services.
He noted that resources at the Beitbridge District Hospital are overstretched. Due to its geographical location, the hospital also services the in-transit population passing through the border town.
The140-bed hospital also caters for populations in Mberengwa and Mwenezi districts.
Cde Nguluvhe said the opening of new health care facilities in the district will ease the pressure on thedistrict hospital.
“My appeal to the corporate world is that let’s work with the Government and give back to the community by investing in this critical sector. It is important that we increase the primary healthcare facilities in the rural areas, and in some instances, also upgrade some of them into polyclinics so that they may offer more services,” he said.
Cde Nguluvhe said it is also important for service providers offering critical services, especially in remote areas, to deploy workers that speak local languages.
Beitbridge district has 17 primary health care centres and the target is to have at least two clinics in a ward to reduce the distance travelled by people to access healthcare services from 20km to at least 10 km.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, people must not walk for more than 8km to access a medical care facility.
North Haven co-founder, Dr Aramu Magodora said they decided to complement Government efforts to improve quality health services in the country.
“As an organisation we have noted that the town is growing rapidly hence we decided to contribute to the growth of medical care services. We will soon procure an X-ray and a dialysis machine and an ambulance to improve service delivery,” he said.
Residents who spoke to the Chronicle said the opening of the new medical clinic will help ease pressure on the district hospital and cut on the costs they incurred by travelling to other towns and cities for laboratory tests.
“This is a positive development for us as residents of Beitbridge. My wish is for us to have more of these facilities so that we reduce travelling costs as some of us were travelling as far as Bulawayo or Harare to seek such services,” said Ms Lindani Mudau.
Another resident, Mr Naison Muleya said: “This is a welcome development, which will go a long way in alleviating some of the challenges that we were facing in terms of accessing healthcare services. Our district hospital lacks some of the testing equipment hence this new facility will bridge that gap.” – The Chronicle
