Zimpapers Logo

George Maponga in Gutu
It is pre-dawn, the time elephants normally bath by the river and the community is already up trying to solve a conundrum of their health delivery system. Even known hypochondriacs are up and frail rtheir way to the work station. Like bees, they cris-cross moulding bricks for the expansion of their clinic, which has become too small for their health needs.

Realising the Government is overwhelmed, the villagers count on their numbers, their sense of common purpose and untiy, and decided to mould the bricks. Thereafter, the villagers believe, the Government and other donors will find it easy to supply the other material that villagers cannot provide for themselves.

The Matizha community in Gutu West has moulded more than 40 000 bricks to expand their local clinic, which caters for 10 000 people across Serima communal lands.

The expansion will see the construction of a family and child health wing with an eight-bed maternity unit with eight beds, post-natal facilities, immunisation, family planning and outpatients rooms .

About 85 000 bricks were need and so far more than half have been moulded after the community was assisted by some prominent sons and daughters from the area.

Councillor for the area Cde Martin Nhamoinesu paid tribute to people in his area for initiating development. “Some are providing labour while others materials such as cement and items for roofing and I am glad that everything that we need to complete this building is now here on site.”

Councillor Nhamoinesu said if all goes according to plan the project will be completed by March next year.
He paid tribute to the National Assembly member for the area (Gutu West) Cde John Paradza, who he said also donated 10 000 bricks to build a staff house that will cater for four families.
There are seven qualified nurses at Matizha.

“Work on the new staff house that will accommodate four families will start soon after our MP (Cde Paradza) donated some bricks for the structure and we also bought cement, roofing and other materials using proceeds from the Constituency Development Fund. We are good to go because everything is now available.” He appealed for Government to electrify the clinic so that nurses can deal with emergencies even at night.

“This clinic caters for more than 10 000 people and the nearest health referral institution (Gutu Mission Hospital) is 50km away so we are appealing to authorities to connect electricity here and also provide a resident medical officer to reduce the distance travelled by those needing specialist services,” he said.

“There is also need for security to be beefed up at the health institution and the community have even built a two-roomed flat in the hope that Government would provide police officers at the clinic.

Water problems that have been affecting the clininc were permanently resolved after a well-wisher from the area supplied and financed the fixing of a water pumping system powered by solar.

Matizha Clinic opened its doors in 1984 and serves communities in Serima communal lands and resettled people across Gutu West.