Gweru Clinic Opens 5 Years Later
25 May 2023
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Five years after it was finished, the City of Gweru finally opened the Pfende Satellite Clinic in Habern Park.

The clinic was formally launched by Brian Dube, Member of Parliament (MP) for Gweru Urban Constituency, who oversaw the project through the CDF.

Residents of Ward 2 have to travel a great distance to Whawha Clinic or Gweru Provincial Hospital for medical care, both of which are located close to Pfende Clinic.

Dube urged council members to prioritise service delivery. The region has low-income households, thus the council, according to him, should move quickly to provide services.

“Council should be serious about primary health issues. As you can see, Pfende is a peri-urban settlement. Most residents here are low-income families, and they cannot afford private hospitals or doctors. Some cannot afford bus fare to town or Whawha for medical attention.

“I want to advise the local authority to prioritize health issues and grow up in the provision of primary service delivery issues,” he said.

Council Health Director Samson Sekenhamo said late responses from the Medicines Control Board caused the delay in opening the clinic to the public. The acquisition of health licenses and the conferment of the Freedom of The City status to President Emmerson Mnangagwa also contributed to the delay.

However, residents described excuses by Sekenhamo as lame as other clinics in the province constructed later are already functional.

A Ward 2 resident Munashe Mkandla said it was prudent for the local authority to decongest other clinics long back by opening Pfende. He said the failure of the council to open the clinic on time was political.

“The clinic provides essential services to the community, and as residents, we were worried that Government wasted resources on something that remains a white elephant for such a long time.

“People with political gains should not control council by depriving its residents of key service delivery issues,” he said.-Masvingo Mirror