The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa
Chipinge Correspondent
THE United Nations Office for Project Service (UNOPS) has donated new fully equipped ambulances to four mission hospitals in a move aimed at improving service delivery of rural hospitals in Manicaland Province.
Mt Selinda and St Peter’s hospitals in Chipinge as well as United Baptist Church-run Rusitu and Mutambara hospitals in Chimanimani were the beneficiaries.
Chipinge District Medical Officer, Dr Brian Makumbe hailed the donations, saying the new ambulances will ensure that challenges the two districts were facing to reach other centres owing to the rugged terrain which becomes impassable during the rainy season is now a thing of the past.
“After Cyclone Idai hit the two districts two years ago, our fleet of ambulances faced challenges to navigate the terrain as it became difficult to reach other health facilities and communities to ferry patients.
“Although Government has intervened to repair damaged roads, there are other areas which we have been failing to access because of the poor state of the roads. We are grateful for this donation as it puts us in a position to serve the community better,” said Dr Makumbe.
Mt Selinda Medical Superintendent, Dr Lovemore Sithole said the addition of a new ambulance to their fleet would improve service delivery, not only at their hospital, but the district at large.
“Our hospital serves a population of about 14 000, including Mozambicans, and the additional ambulance will go a long way in improving our operations,” he said.
With funding from the World Bank, UNOPS is implementing the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP); a four-year multi-agency initiative supporting the recovery of communities affected by March 2019 Cyclone Idai.
One of the key sectors targeted under the project is health, where UNOPS is working with other agencies to restore and improve access to health services.
UNOPS said they were committed to strengthening the health referral network in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts.
