New Mazunga Clinic opens doors along Beitbridge-Bulawayo Road

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

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 The new Mazunga Clinic in Ward 14 Beitbridge. – Picture: Thupeyo Muleya.

Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau

A NEW clinic has officially opened in Mazunga resettlement area, located approximately 60 km along the Beitbridge to Bulawayo highway.

This facility began offering services to the local farming community two weeks ago after successfully passing a standards and conformity inspection by the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

Mazunga clinic serves all communities in its area, including those from Tshionzeni, Musane, Mapani, Mabidi, Masera, and Zhovhe, as well as motorists travelling along the highway.

The medical facility includes a maternity wing accommodating over 12 women at a time, a pharmacy, a mothers’ waiting shelter, an environmental health section, a general outpatient department, a male and female wards and a standard emergency room.

The establishment of the clinic was a collaborative effort involving local villagers, businesses, and the Beitbridge Rural District Council who converted a former farmhouse into a medical facility.

Mr Peter Ncube, acting CEO of Beitbridge rural district council, noted that initial delays in opening the clinic were due to the need to address concerns raised by the Health Ministry which sets the standards and requirements for every clinic in the public sector.

“We have deployed a nurse and an environmental health technician to the clinic, which is now offering primary healthcare services,” Mr Ncube said.

Plans to strengthen health services in the community through additional staff were underway.

The clinic is expected to significantly alleviate healthcare access challenges for residents in Ward 14 and travellers to Beitbridge or Bulawayo. Mr Ncube highlighted ongoing efforts to construct more clinics in other wards, specifically targeting areas where maternal health facilities are lacking.

Currently, efforts are underway to prepare another new clinic, Tshabili clinic, for commissioning.

Additionally, preparations for Dumba clinic are in progress, with final assessments pending before it can open.

With support from the International Medical Corps, the local authority has also implemented a piped water scheme to benefit both the school and the community in the Mudzwiti area of Ward 14, using a solar-powered borehole.

District Medical Officer Dr Lenos Samhere is satisfied with the civil works at Mazunga clinic and recommended its opening to the public while minor issues, such as broken floor tiles, are addressed.

“The opening of Mazunga clinic brings the total number of clinics in the district to 18,” Dr Samhere said.