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Mukudzei Chingwere Herald Reporter

The Government is stepping up the quest for national herd immunity by rolling out vaccination nets into areas, which up to now had suffered exclusion from the provision of social services.

This conforms with the pledge of leaving no one behind in the Government’s quest for universal health coverage and access to general healthcare services aimed at improving people’s livelihoods. 

Under the 2030 vision of achieving an upper middle income society health services of sufficient quality should be guaranteed to everyone.

The Herald visited Bow Mine an illegal mining settlement in the Mungari area in Pfungwe on the riverbed of Mazowe.

Here, a health outreach team vaccinated people as well as offering HIV services and treatment of other ailments.

Covid-19 vaccination which was integrated into routine programming of the Ministry of Health and Child Care has been warmly welcomed by the illegal miners in this community. People are being taught on adherence to containment measures.

“Most of the people who reside here are always busy with their work and they do not get time to go to hospitals to get Covid-19 vaccines,” said Mr Ben Chisuku who was identified as the leader and chairperson of the community.

He added that some parents do not even go to clinics for the immunisation of their children and seek healthcare services in general.

“Our communities have been usually neglected, but now we are getting these services and we are happy that the Government is now bringing health services here.

“Some people are generally sceptical about health seeking, but when they get such awareness and education, they will be open to accept these health services,” said Mr Chisuku.

Another miner identified as Mr Prosper Mpofu said most people in the settlement have different conditions and fail to access healthcare services because of their reluctance to leave if they do not have money.

He was grateful that apart from Covid-19 services, the health teams were attending to their other health related concerns.

“We are here for money, most people you see here are not originally from Pfungwe, some from Harare, others from Bulawayo and Matabeleland regions, others from Midlands and I am from Sanyati.

“So even if we are sick we cannot leave this place just like that. We are really grateful to the Government for bringing services here. Some are reluctant to access healthcare services, but most of us are benefiting,” said Mr Mpofu.

A commercial sex worker at the settlement who only identified herself as Prisca was happy the health team has availed condoms — a key component for protecting themselves from sexually transmitted diseases.

“If we run out of condoms here it is difficult to get them because at times there will not be any at these tuckshops or they are expensive if they are available. If you do not have money you cannot leave this place so we are grateful services are coming here.

“My little sister was not feeling well for some time so we encouraged her to be tested for HIV. The advice is that if she is positive she should be on medication.”

Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe District Nursing Officer Mabel Mangere who led the health team into this community said they are offering integrated services, which are not only Covid-19 vaccination.

She said it was of paramount importance to bring vaccines to remote areas especially when dealing with viruses like Covid-19.

This, she added, helps control a disaster before it reaches the district hospital.

“If we manage outbreaks in communities and human settlements, we would have controlled the diseases.

“We do not want a situation where a certain community is neglected because if you look at a pandemic like Covid-19 it will not be controlled until everyone is safe. But it is not only Covid-19 we attend to all cases including immunisation of children as well as referring other patients for further treatment.”

The community here is a settlement with makeshift homes, shops and several amenities needed for human habitation.

Headman Tsiga born Tafirenyika Katiyo said it was important for the traditional leadership to encourage vaccination and early treatment behaviour.

Zimbabwe has won international plaudits for the way it has handled the Covid-19 pandemic and President Mnangagwa’s administration is determined to reach a herd immunity hence strides to every length and breadth of the country.