Chiadzwa villagers in Mkwada area are reportedly failing to access healthcare services after nurses shut down their sole clinic due to the withdrawal of services over alleged unavailability of electricity. 

The clinic, that serves Mutsago and Chipindirwe villages has gone for over two months without power supply, a development that has forced nurses to dodge duty in protest.

A villager, Lovemore Mkwada confirmed the development and said that only one nurse aide is available but administering any prescriptions.

“There are no nurses at the clinic, only one caregiver is available. The issue is emanating from the unavailability of electricity for over two months due to a transformer breakdown,” said Mkwada. 

Some villagers are now walking for about 10 kilometers to get to the nearest clinic to seek medical attention. 

The community is unhappy with lack of response from the relevant authorities who they say are putting people’s lives at risk. 

“We have pregnant women and children in the community who need uncompromised access to healthcare, so we appeal to the responsible authorities and government to intervene before the situation worsen,” said one villager who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

Mutare Rural District Council (MRC) Head of Social Services, Temba Nyarumbu said council is aware of the situation and  are working around the clock, to resolve it before weekend.

“Some of the nurses retired while others went on leave but we have found their replacements. We expect the situation to normalize by weekend. As for the issue of power challenges, this clinic has not been connected to the national power line so all along we were relying on solar power while we work on getting connected to the main power grid,” said Nyarumbu. 

Source: TellZim