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Minister Mupfumira

Abigail Mawonde Herald Reporter
TUBERCULOSIS in mines has become a major threat to the country and the sadc region’s economic prosperity, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira has said. Commissioning the National Social Security Authority’s occupational health centre and mobile clinic at NSSA Willowvale Complex in Harare yesterday, Minister Mupfumira underscored the need to fight the disease.

“Tuberculosis in the mines has indeed become a major threat to the economic prosperity of the sadc region as a whole,” she said.

“It has been scientifically proven that a miner has twice the risk of contracting TB in their life. This risk is also increased to three times if they are a smoker.”

Minister Mupfumira said the statistics show that the mining sector should be given special focus in the fight against TB.

“Such indices place the mining sector as a special focus in efforts to reducing the effects of the scourge of Tuberculosis. It is within this realm that effective surveillance programmes for TB in mines be commissioned and followed through,” she said.

“Such exercises will provide solutions to the bigger picture and the mobile clinic programme should assist in this regard.”

The NSSA equipment commissioned yesterday offers a variety for medical check ups.

Minister Mupfumira said it was important, from a policy perspective, to remember that prevention was better that cure.

She said the surveillance exercise seeks to screen those workers who are at higher risk of contracting the disease as diagnosing of the disease early was important.

Since January, the NSSA Pneumoconiosis Medical Bureau has diagnosed 17 cases of pneumoconiosis.

Minister Mupfumira said the figure was too high.

“The questions that we must pose to ourselves right now are: Why should our people be afflicted by a disease which is totally preventable and avoidable?” she said.

“Could it be that there was laxity in our OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) controls at the workplace, and if so, what were the learning points? Can we as enlightened citizens continue to take a business as usual approach under these circumstances? The answer is a big no.”

Minister Mupfumira said employers and employees should collaborate to address the situation.