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Mukudzei Chingwere in Nhowe

Communities surrounding Nhowe Mission in Mashonaland East are delighted by the assignment of an ICU ambulance to the mission hospital, part of Government measures to make sure ambulance services are widely available.

Nationally, 72 have already been delivered, 68 already bought and now being equipped and assigned, and plans to keep increasing the fleet are afoot.

Local authorities and residents said the move showed that the Government was indeed leaving no place behind in its quest to deliver social services to the populace.

Nhowe Health Centre committee chair Mr Walter Kuchenga hailed the quick response from Government after a request was tendered by the community.

Mr Lovemore Sithole, the head of Nhowe Mission High School, welcomed the ambulance service saying: “Our school has 475 boarders and 162 day scholars so at times we have children who got injured while playing sports and we are grateful to Government for the efficient ambulance system that also gives relief to parents.”

Mr Sithole’s sentiments were shared by Mr Musekiwa Zvomuya, a senior teacher at Nhowe Mission Primary School, which has 89 boarders and 362 day scholars.

Mr Brian Gonzo the superintendent at the Mission that oversees operations at the hospital, both schools and the farm, was elated.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care this week assigned a fully equipped ambulance to Nhowe Mission Hospital in Murehwa district as authorities pace modernisation of ambulance services to meet national health delivery targets.

The donation followed a request by the church-run medical facility on January 27 and less than two months on, Government responded positively leaving local medical practitioners and the Nhowe community appreciative of Government’s quick response.

The modern Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ambulance comes with emergency service kits like an oxygen tank, ventilator, defibrillator, washing basin and other accessories and Government has set itself an initial target of delivering 200 such ICU ambulances to complement the available fleet.

So far 72 have already been delivered with others donated by partners and another 68 have been procured by Government and now await delivery.

Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga is on record that an efficient national ambulance system is key to the attainment of a national health system consistent with an upper middle-income economy which Zimbabwe is configuring its systems towards.

Murehwa District Medical Officer Dr Joseph Taruvona thanked the Ministry of Health and Child Care for the timeous response to their request and said the ICU ambulance together with several other interventions that Government continues to come up with will improve health delivery in the district.

“This is a welcome development which will significantly boost our referral system. As you might be aware smaller health institutions refer to bigger and better equipped hospitals,” said Dr Taruvona.

“So if we refer a patient for specialist care it means that patient is in a bad shape and they need excellent care on their way to the next health facility, so we do not want patients getting worse off in cars,” he said.Acting Nhowe Mission Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Prosper Masarakufa spoke of sad situations where patients had deteriorated in health owing to the unavailability of an efficient ambulance service, a situation he said was now in the past after Government intervention.

“This ambulance will help a lot in saving lives. For example, we encounter emergencies in delivery which need to be quickly transferred for specialist care,” said Dr Masarakufa.

“At this hospital for example, we have about 50 deliveries a month and since 2017 we have recorded three maternal mortality cases.

“These patients would have reported late, there is a case of a patient where we could not quickly find transport to refer and she died on her way to hospital,” he said.

In his year ending message for 2022, VP Chiwenga emphasised the need for an efficient ambulance system which will not only take patients to a referral but one that guarantees the best medical experience on the road.

“As you will appreciate, an efficient ambulance system is a key anchor to a thriving health system,” wrote VP Chiwenga in his exclusive year ender in The Herald.

“Government is alive to this obvious fact and we have thus created an Ambulance Services Directorate which is part of the newly streamlined Ministry of Health and Child Care structure. In future, this directorate will be complimented by staff from the Accident and Emergency Nursing School which we opened in Chivhu last year (2021).

“Graduates from the school will be equipped with emergency service specialties to help in the provision of emergency services. Furthermore, crews — especially nurses will receive specialist training aimed at equipping the ambulance services with specialist personnel that will give our patients the best ambulance experience,” wrote the VP Chiwenga.