By Moses Ziyambi
Masvingo is set to take part in the sixth Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) as the province grapples with a myriad of health challenges ranging from poorly equipped hospitals, poor nutrition and persistent sanitary challenges.
The survey will be conducted by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency in Collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
The ZDHS is a standard survey to gather data on key health indicators like maternal and child health, family planning, nutrition and sanitation.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care says the information is crucial for “monitoring and reporting on the progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and their successor, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
The survey, it says, will also meet the data needs of the Zimbabwe Agenda for sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIMASSET).
City of Masvingo
Deputy Provincial Health Director Amadeus Shamu said the survey is instrumental for future health planning.
“It will play an important part in satisfying the data requirements for better health service delivery. We encourage the people of Masvingo to cooperate fully with enumerators for more accurate findings,” said Shamu.
Masvingo fares badly on most health indicators, with up to 75 maternal deaths for every 1000 expectant mothers.
Tell Zimbabwe recently reported that Gutu Rural Hospital is operating without such necessities as X-Ray machine, BP machine and generator while curative health services are being hampered by drug shortages in City of Masvingo council clinics.
The recently released Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey also paints a gloomy picture on nutrition, with 25 percent of all deaths of children under the age of five being attributed to nutritional deficiencies.local
