Mavizhu Clinic

Brighton Chiseva

Masvingo South Member
of Parliament (MP) Claudious Maronge has invested some of the money disbursed
to the constituency through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in the
construction of Mavizhu Clinic.

Plans for the
clinic were finalised in 2016 between the community leaders and Ward 23 Councillor
Tichaona Machingambi who moved the motion in Masvingo Rural District Council
(RDC).

After the motion
was approved, the site plan and pegging was done in the same year, with local
people raising money through contributions but it was not enough to take the
project off the ground.

Machingambi told
TellZim News that he was glad that Maronge had actively taken interest in the
planned project and worked hard to make it happen.

“When MP Maronge
was elected in 2018, we briefed him on this stalled project and he took keen
interest. When the CDF allocations became available, we agree that priority must
be given to to construction of the clinic,” said Machingambi.

He said the CDF
disbursement was used to buy 720 bags of cement, 129 roofing iron sheets, 30
roof trusses, 21 doors and door frames, 27 window frames and window panes and a
6kg packet of nails.

“We had no money
for labour and the community provided pit and river sand as well as stones. Our
MP chipped in by paying the bricklayers and when we got our ‘plough-back’ funds
from council, we bought more materials,” said Machingambi

On his own part,
Maronge said he identified the most critical areas that needed urgent attention
 in all wards, and it was decided that
the clinic was the most pertinent project as it will provide a service to 10
000 households once completed.

“When I came in,
I decided to do work on the project using the CDF after the community indicated
that it was their greatest priority. People travel long distances for basic
health services but that will now be, greatly reduced,” said Maronge.

Construction of
the eight-bed clinic has been completed while registration processes with the
Ministry of Health and Child Care are yet to be done.

Villager head George
Mutombodzi said his community was happy with the project which he said was of
great effect to the improvement of living conditions.

“It will be useful
to all people more especially pregnant women who did not have a place to
undergo regular check-ups close by. This clinic shows what can be achieved if
local people work in harmony with their leadership,” said Mutombodzi.

Some of the CDF
was also used to build a staff house at Guwa Clinic in Ward 24 where Maronge
used his own money to pay skilled labour, with villagers volunteering to
provide water and sand.

At Musvovi Clinic
in Ward 26, Maronge used CDF to repair the clinic’s roof that was blown away by
hailstorm last year.

He also
facilitated for the construction of another clinic at Chisase business centre
in Ward 30. The clinic project was made possible partly through funding from
government’s yearly allocations under the devolution programme.

Chisase Clinic
handles 100 patients per day from some approximately 25 000 households in
Masvingo, Chivi and Chiredzi districts.