HARARE - Chitungwiza Rotary Club yesterday met with representatives from a medical relief organisation, Path To Health, to discuss ways to assist rural Zimbabweans in accessing primary health care.
Path to Health already works with other rotaries across the country, which include Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Gwanda, Masvingo and Chipinge.
Kevin Conway, the organisation’s representative, a Rotarian from Canada, said they had requests for drugs for hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes.
“We are urging Rotary Clubs to adopt a clinic and maintain contact, a little help can go a long way,” Conway told the Chitungwiza Rotarians.
“We first assess the clinic’s security before we support them and keep in contact with them so we know what their needs are. There has been a constant request for hypertension and diabetes drugs.”
According to statistics from the ministry of Health, one in every 10 Zimbabweans suffer from diabetes whilst hypertension cases hovered around 20 000.
Path to Health at the first stage offers rural clinics $2 000 worth of medicines and equipment worth $3 000 consisting syringes, hospital gowns, baby scales, beds, tongue depressors and other disposables
Conway said the organisation has continued to support 13 hospitals in the past years and is looking at ways of contracting a local bed maker, as patients in some hospitals are sleeping on the floor.
“Instead of importing beds from Vancouver-Canada which is expensive, we are looking at ways to have the beds made here,” he said.
He said there have tried to stay away from offering HIV assistance as they were doubting the sustainability of their supply because of limited resources.