Staff Reporter
MARONDERA– A new health facility, Jakopo Clinic, is set to be constructed in Murehwa West constituency’s Ward 14 with local legislator Farai Jere donating 3 000 face bricks and 50 bags of cement.
The clinic to be constructed at Jakopo Business Centre will serve more than 15 000 villagers who have been walking distances between 10km and 15 km to the nearest health facilities at Musami and Rhodes in Ward 15.
Addressing villagers upon delivery of the building materials at the site, Jere said the clinic will be a shot in the arm for the health sector in the constituency.
“As your representative in the National House of Assembly, my office decided to make this donation of bricks and cement towards this clinic project after realising that we have villagers who had to walk long distances to get medical attention in Ward 15 which has St Paul’s Musami Hospital and Rhodes Clinic.
“We want health infrastructure and services to be brought closer to everyone’s doorstep, hence we will make sure that the construction of Jakopo Clinic is completed before the end of the year,” Jere said.
He also stated that the clinic will serve villagers in Ward 14 and surrounding communities.
He added: “We are expecting the construction of the state-of-the-art clinic to start soon to ensure sustainable health delivery in the area. We should complement the Government’s efforts in ensuring health facilities are built closer to our door steps.”
Zanu PF Murehwa District Coordination Committee (DCC) chairman Israel Maliki who is a former councillor for the Ward thanked Jere for the donation.
Maliki said efficient health delivery system was vital for development in the community as it fulfils the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS-1) tenets which speaks of the health and well-being of everyone by 2030.
Villagers spoke highly of the project, saying it will help save lives, especially as it will be offering maternity services.
“People have been walking for long distances to access healthcare services. We are glad that we (will) now have a healthcare centre close by that will serve us and the community. Once the clinic becomes operational, it will help improve the quality of people’s lives as they will be in a position to go for regular medical check-up, unlike this present moment when some are put off by the long distances they have to travel for medical attention,” Headman Noicholas Chakavarika said.
Several clinics have been constructed in all parts of the country, some using devolution funds, as the Government embarked on a massive transformation of the health system since 2018.
