People urged to use suggestion boxes

Gweru-Ministry of Health and Child care has urged the community to use suggestion boxes to voice
their appreciation and dissatisfaction regarding service.

Speaking at a recent stakeholders’ Covid-19, cholera, sexual exploitation and gender-based violence
sensitisation meeting in the town, Gweru District health promotions officer Lameck Govere
emphasised the need for the community to use suggestion boxes.

“As health we very much aspire to provide the best care possible, so we call upon the community to
utilise these suggestion boxes.

“With your help as the community this can make us recognise our mistakes and fix them and help
the institution take stock of the good work we have done,” said Govere.

Govere emphasised that suggestion boxes are not strictly for complaints but also for appreciation of
the good work being done by their health institutions.

The provincial health officer Ishmael Mavhenyengwa echoed similar sentiments adding that
although there are other ways to raise complaints against health personnel’s behaviour and attitude
towards patients and acknowledgements, suggestion boxes are the most convenient way.

Patients seeking treatment at various public health institutions say service is at an all-time low at
some institutions.

In response to that and similar cases he urged them to be patient as at times medical personnel will
appear to be ignoring them when in fact they will be attending to critical case.

“As stakeholders inform patients out there to be very patients as medical practitioners do prioritise
critical incidents.

“However, we do not expect patients to spend more than one and half hours at our institutions, but
understand that sometimes some end up spending more time depending on the situations on the
day,” Mavhenyengwa said.

Ministry of Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises Development provincial coordinator
Christina Sithole said institutions should strategically position their suggestion boxes.

According to interviews on separate occasions, the most burning issues in most hospitals and clinics
are linen and transport for referral patients.