The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
THE United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) this week donated a state-of-the-art ultra-scan machine and an assortment of goods worth thousands of dollars to Chipinge District Hospital.
The donation, which also includes 300 blankets and 200 mosquito nets, among others, will go a long way to improve the healthcare in the district that has been operating without a scan machine.
Patients were forking out extra money to access the service at private surgeries or the provincial referral hospital.
Private surgeries charge US$40 for a scan and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, a pregnant woman should be scanned thrice before giving birth.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, UNHCR representative Mr Aboulaye Barry said the gesture followed realisation of a huge influx of refugees from Tongogara Refugee Camp and Mozambique to the hospital.
“We decided to give this machine to Chipinge General Hospital because all pregnant mothers from Tongogara Refugee Camp are being referred to this hospital. This machine will also help local residents who were forking out a lot of money at private surgeries.
“We are looking for more funds to install solar power at this hospital so that the service is readily available all the time,’’ said Mr Barry.
Chipinge district medical officer (DMO) Dr Brian Makumbe said the gesture will go a long way in improving maternal and general healthcare in the district.
“The catchment area for the hospital is big; it attracts clients from Chimanimani, Chipinge and even Mozambique. The scan will help expecting mothers to avoid complications during pregnancy and child birth. We are looking forward to getting trained personnel to operate the machine. The hospital is badly affected by incessant power cuts and a dedicated power to light up the institution must be prioritised,’’ he said.
