Residents of Murewa have started benefiting from specialised dental and ophthalmology services following the acquisition of modern equipment by St Paul’s Musami Hospital.
Before the latest developments, the residents in the catchment area of the Catholic-run hospital used to seek dental and eye services in faraway places such as Harare.
Roman Catholic Church diocese of Harare Archbishop Robert Ndlovu pledged the church’s continued commitment to support the government in health service delivery.
“As the Roman Catholic Church, we are making efforts to spread the gospel through offering services to the community and health service delivery is at the core of our mission. We will continue supporting the sector in any way possible,” Ndlovu said at the unveiling ceremony on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, Musami Hospital board chairperson, Francis Dzanya, said the hospital board was doing its best to ensure access to primary healthcare services for the community.
“The community is at the centre of our focus and we will leave no stone unturned as we make efforts to provide the necessary service to the people,” Dzanya said.
The dental equipment was sourced by a local orthodontist Anthony Chinhara while the eye equipment was acquired by the hospital.
“We have to be our own donors so that we don’t have to look beyond our borders for donations as there can never be development without input from the beneficiaries,” Chinhara said.
Locals interviewed by NewsDay thanked the authorities for the timely intervention.
“We are happy that we now have these machines at our local hospital as we used to travel long distances to Harare whenever we wanted dental services and it was very expensive considering that most of the people in the community have limited funding,” said Kefasi Mabika, a local villager.
Another villager Pikirayi Kamhanda said, “We thank the government and the church for ensuring we get quality health services closer to home.”
St Paul’s Musami Hospital is one of the biggest referral centres in Murewa and also caters for people from neighbouring Goromonzi and Marondera districts. – News Day
