KARIBA – CLINICS are organised facilities offering medical diagnostics, where one
receives care in the fulfilment of, and addressing the challenges associated with
health issues and the well-being of communities.
Clinics should be providing all its beneficiaries with the necessary health services,
from pregnancy to old age and contraceptives, to mention a few.
Gabriel Mazivofa, Public Relations Officer for the Municipality of Kariba says, Kariba
municipality owns two clinics and each clinic serves a catchment population of 22
033 in Nyamhunga and 4 562 in Mahombekombe respectively.
“The clinics offer the community urgent medical attention in case of emergencies,
which also assists patients to save on transport costs as they will walk to the health
facility if they need health services, thus increasing the life expectancy of patients
and saves time for the patients.
“The health care workers may visit and provide some door-to-door services, and at
Primary Health Care level clinic consultation fees are subsidised and medicines are
sold at lowest possible costs,” explained Mazivofa.
However, medicines are not enough at the clinics, so purchases are done once in a
while subject to availability of funds and in addition clinics get some deliveries from
Nat Pharm, for example TB, malaria, and ART drugs just to mention a few.
“The consultation is, firstly free services are given to the following patients:
Martenety patients during delivery, antenatal and postnatal clinic.
“The five to12 years pay US$2, while from 13 -59 years the fee is US$4, said
Mazivofa.
He attributed the challenges being faced by the health facility to infrastructure and
space shortages.
“On drugs, some suppliers want their payment in USD yet our revenue is usually in
RTGs. There is also high nurses’ attrition rates. They are moving to greener
pastures, while the remaining few experience high work load.
“Some mothers are reluctant to bring their under fives for routine immunisation, yet
the clinic will be just a walking distance. Despite sensitisations the community is not
respecting that after normal working hours our clinics, specifically Nyamhunga, will
only be attending to emergency cases as they will be skeleton staff at night.
He also added that Mahombekombe clinic is not yet accredited to dispense ART
medicines.
In 2030 the catchment population will have grown, so if the Nyamhunga clinic does
not upgrade, there will be serious challenges due to population growth.
“Most families will have stands in Nyamhunga, so they will relocate there, and many
health programmes will worsen space challenges.
