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Municipal Reporter
Harare City Council is expanding its clinics across the city with some of them being equipped with operating theatres in a move expected to de-congest referral hospitals.

This is contained in the recent minutes of Education, Health Housing Community Services and Licensing Committee.

Director of Health Services Dr Prosper Chonzi, said work had now commenced on the expansion of scope of services at Mabvuku Poly Clinic to include an operating theatre and a casualty in partnership with Zim Health.

“The project had been planned to be implemented within a year and would be funded by the City of Harare, Zim Health, Elma Philanthropists and National Health Care Trust and the Ministry of Health and Childcare and was expected to cost $500 000.

“The city had also embarked on the expansion of Sunningdale Clinic, this was the first project where council infrastructure had been improved with contribution of the community and involvement of the ward councillor,” reads part of the minutes.

Dr Chonzi said the extension of the pharmacy and Beatrice Road Infections Diseases Hospital, which was funded by the Global Fund as well as renovation of Mbare Poly Clinic was complete and the availability of medicines at council clinics as at March 10 was at 83,3 percent.

He said there were six reported cases of typhoid this year, adding the city continued to do Ebola surveillance for all travellers from affected countries.

“The committee noted that there had been a total of 336 910 attendances (of all ailments) at council clinics since January 2015 and a total of 62 000 deliveries at council’s maternity units at the same time.

“The department was, however, worried by the length of time mothers spent during initial and repeat ante-natal care visit mainly due to a shortage of midwives. Efforts were underway to shorten the time through process engineering and the recruitment of local nurses,” read the minutes.

The committee noted the progress on various activities, programmes and projects in the City Health Department.