By A Correspondent- Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri last week donated two tonnes of maize meal to health workers in Nyanga District.

The maize meal, which was handed over to Nyanga District Medical Officer Dr Admore Jokwiro by Nyanga North and South Members of National Assembly Chido Sanyatwe and Supa Mandiwanzira will be distributed to health frontline workers in the two constituencies.

Muchinguri-Kashiri recently made a similar donation to health personnel in Mutasa District.

In an interview with The Manica Post, Dr Jokwiro appreciated Muchinguri-Kashiri’s gesture.

“We really appreciate Muchinguri-Kashiri’s gesture. lt shows that some people out there are concerned about our welfare. This donation will be distributed to all health facilities in Nyanga North and South,” said Dr Jokwiro.

He went on to highlight that the health sector is grappling with a plethora of challenges, including the lack of basic equipment to mitigate against the spread of diseases.

Due to their proximity to the Mozambican border, some parts of Nyanga are prone to outbreaks of malaria through trans-border transmissions.

Some Mozambicans cross into Zimbabwe through porous illegal entry points to seek medical attention from health facilities near the border.

“Our health care facilities need a lot of attention and workers’ welfare needs to be constantly revisited. The Covid-19 pandemic is real and has brought a lot of challenges to the health delivery system in the country. We should all appreciate the good work being done by the personnel in this sector and render them the necessary support.

“We hope more individuals and corporates will come on board with donations of personal protective equipment and other accessories as we scale-up our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

Speaking on the district’s state of preparedness to handle Covid-19 cases, Dr Jokwiro said a lot of work still needs to be done, especially on the Nyanga District Hospital isolation centre.

“Our district isolation centre is 50 percent ready. We have converted one of the wards into an isolation centre. Material for the project is taking time to be delivered but we expect the work to be done in two weeks’ time.

“Although we are still to record any Covid-19 cases in the district, we should not be complacent because the weather conditions in Nyanga can contribute to an upsurge of cases. We are at the peak of the winter season and at times temperatures here become unbearable. We hope to continue managing the situation well.

“The fight against the spread of Covid-19 is everyone’s responsibility and we should ensure that we observe the World Health Organisation’s safety guidelines,” said Dr Jokwiro.

He went on to reveal that during his last trip to the United States of America, he came face to face with the devastating effects of Covid-19.

“We should not throw caution to the wind because by doing so, we will have difficulties in managing this pandemic,” he said.