By Virginia Njovo
The ongoing national budget consultations have laid bare the dire state of healthcare in rural Zimbabwe, with citizens revealing gaps in access to medical facilities.
Rural communities are struggling to access basic healthcare services, including maternity care, due to crippling shortages of facilities, staff, and supplies and participants at the national budget consultations called for government to prioritise improvement of basic healthcare especially in rural areas.
Speaking during 2025 National budget consultation which was held on October 9 2024, at Mucheke Hall in Masvingo a participant Julie Chekeche revealed that Mushandike Clinic has for years operated without expecting mother’s shelter forcing pregnant women to travel long distances whilst in labour.
She pleaded with the government to include the maternity home issue in the national budget.
“I wish you include and remember Mushandike clinic in the 2025 budget since women are walking more than ten kilometres to the clinic while in labour and some deliver on road sides thereby promoting home births,” said Chekeche.
She said due to poor road networks in the area, it was still a challenge for expecting mothers to connect to the clinic even during emergencies.
“Even if they want to hire vehicles during emergencies, the roads which connects to the clinic are in sorry state and some areas do not have link roads,” said Chekeche.
Mushandike clinic is in Ward 10 of Masvingo Rural District which is located in a resettlement area serving ward 9, ward 3 and ward 10 which are over 10 kilometres apart.
Participants from Makasi and Gwengavi areas echoed the same sentiments saying they were being served with a clinic that is 10km away.
“We walk kilometres from Makasi ward 19 to Nemamwa or Mapanzure clinics which are far away from our area. At times we walk close to 10 kilometres only to get a prescription and no medication. Because of the situation some people no longer go to clinics and many are dying at home, so we want more clinics.
“In Gwengavi we go to Nemamwa clinic which is over 20 kilometres from our area or to Rujeko here in town clinic which is very hard for us since we have to fork out money for transport to go to the clinic,” said one participant.
The same situation prevails in Chivi North where Takavarasha clinic serves at least five wards and the only alternative is the district referral hospital which is Chivi District Hospital.
Bikita South legislator Energy Mutodi who was coordinating the Masvingo consultation meeting commended the turnout saying it was the highest so far and said the proposals were almost the same as other areas.
“Masvingo turnout is best compared to other places we visited, and the level of participation shows that people know what they want in their communities. We were in Bikita where citizens raised similar issues as; improvement in health services, education as well as inclusion of people with disabilities,” said Mutodi.
