By Meditation Mposi
The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has empowered Village Health Workers (VHW) to treat common diseases in their villages as they can now access medicines for treating such.
Speaking during a Press Club Discussion organized by TellZim in Masvingo on March 5, Provincial Health Services Administrator Samson Nyoni who was representing Provincial Medical Director (PMD) Dr Amadeus Shamu said the move was meant to assist in managing the spread of diseases from local level.
“We have increased the strength of village health workers, some have been given access to drugs in terms of treating minor illnesses like malaria enabling them to provide timely and effective primary health care.
“VHWs can now manage a range of minor health conditions reducing the need for patients to travel to health facilities as these live in communities. Where there is need, a person has to walk from where they stay to a nearby facility so that it is accessible and cost effective. Once it has been detected that they need higher level services that’s where they can access a Rural or a District Hospital,” said Nyoni.
Nyoni also revealed that government had made efforts to reduce the average walking distance of patients to 8km.
“The average walking distance for patients is now 8km but previously, patients would walk an average of 20km to access health facilities,” said Nyoni.
Masvingo province now has 231 health facilities.
Nyoni also said health facilities were accessed in hierarchy and patients had to follow those stages to get services.
“When there is need for higher services that is when they can access rural hospitals, district hospitals and provincial hospitals because the rural hospitals have become the referral center for the clinics.
“At the Provincial Hospital we have ambulances that are ready to go to Bulawayo and Harare and where there is need for that person to be airlifted as far as from Chikombedzi that is when we call for assistance,” said Nyoni.
