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Tawanda Mangoma in Chikombedzi
Chiredzi Rural District Council (CRDC) has embarked on an infrastructure development programme to build eight rural health care centres in the area, an official has said.

The local authority’s chairperson, Councillor Isaac Matsilele, said that the move was set to improve issues of service delivery and access to health facilities by communities.

He said they were also looking at decongesting Chikombedzi and Chiredzi hospitals, which were strained by an ever growing population.

“Our primary motive as a locally authority is to continue improving the lives of our communities through the provision of quality services among them access to health institutions,” said Cllr Matsilele.

“Villagers in Wards 8 and 24 have been complaining about the long distances they trek to the nearest health facility.

“As council with people-centred service delivery at heart, we have started constructing four clinics. So far, one facility (Gwaseche Clinic) in Chiredzi South constituency is nearing completion.

“A healthy nation produces good developmental results. As we move towards the attainment of a middle income economy by 2030, we were challenged by Government to also improve on health service delivery as most communities are still travelling more than 20km to access primary health care services.”

He said civil works on all the eight new clinics will start this year.

Chiredzi South legislator Cde Kalisto Gwanetsa said communities from the southern end of his constituency were working on setting up village based clinics.

“Communities in Gurungweni, Chishinya, Masukwe and Rutandare have joined their local authority in setting up village-based clinics so as to improve health delivery systems,” he said.

He said considering that most roads were impassable during the rainy season, it was important to bring health institutions within reach of the people.

“Every rainy season we fly medicine and medical personnel to villages where most roads are impassable. We usually have malaria outbreaks in most of these areas close to Runde, Mwenezi and Limpopo rivers,” said Cde Gwanetsa.