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Dr Chimedza

Zvamaida Murwira in VICTORIA FALLS
Zimbabwe will not treat any outbreak of the Ebola virus as a secret and keep it under wraps because of processes and personnel needed to contain the disease, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Paul Chimedza has said.He said the anxiety that had seen some people spreading false information that the disease had been detected in Zimbabwe, was not necessary. Dr Chimedza said this on Saturday while addressing Members of Parliament here who were attending a pre-budget consultative seminar.

“What the disease has done is to cause anxiety. People don’t trust Government officials, saying we are not telling the truth when we say Zimbabwe has not recorded any cases of Ebola,” said Deputy Minister Chimedza.

“We have no capacity to hide the outbreak of Ebola. We have to send specimens to South Africa for testing and that already is another third party.

“Secondly we have the World Health Organisation whose sole purpose is to monitor the disease. When we pronounce that we don’t have Ebola, and we pray that we will not have it, people become anxious because they doubt Government’s capacity to contain it.

“We have put in place the best that we can.”

He said his Ministry was concerned by people using the social media circulating false reports that Zimbabwe had recorded an Ebola case.

As a result the Ministry was now using the same platform to contain the onslaught.

Deputy Minister Chimedza said the country lost about US$6 million in business when word went round that Government had closed Wilkins Hospital after a suspected case of Ebola.

Addressing the same event, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo unveiled a programme to distribute residential stands to war veterans and legislators.

Minister Chombo said giving residential stands to about 400 MPs was not a challenge, considering that they had set out to provide housing for more than 105 000 people under Zim-Asset.

At least 10 000 stands had been earmarked for freedom fighters, said Minister Chombo.

He also said allowances for traditional leaders would soon be reviewed in recognition of the great work they do. “We think the allowances for traditional leaders should be doubled if not trebled,” he said.

Minister Chombo said Government would give traditional leaders vehicles and improve their lives.