HEALTH - ZIRP

Revitalisation of Access to Health Services

Cyclone Idai cut off many communities from essential services as infrastructure was damaged. Part of immediate response was to restore access to basic health care services for hard-to-reach communities. The two-pronged approach involved strengthening of community-based health structures through Village Health Workers; and providing resources to conduct mobile outreach clinics and bolster services at mission hospitals. The two agencies working in this sector WHO and UNICEF were able to reprogram and capacitate health workers and communities to respond to COVID-19 when the pandemic hit Zimbabwe.

Results as of 31 January 2023

3,709,299

Number of people reached through community sensitization & health promotion interventions

10

Art murals created as part of modified social mobilization approaches and outdoor media campaign in 5 Districts

780

Village Health Workers supported under ZIRP. 580 provided with bicycles

656,575

Persons provided with basic package health services and support

95%

Of rehabilitation works completed at St. Peters Isolation ward

87%

Of works completed at Mutsvangwa maternal health centre

100%

of incinerator construction completed at Mutambara Mission Hospital

Beneficiary Quotes

“The bicycle makes my work easier in the village, it was not possible before we were given the bicycles. The villages are big and it was difficult to work. I have 186 households in my village and it wasn’t easy to cover them all, I could only cover 6 houses a day on foot. It is now easier for me to cover more households with my bicycle. I used to walk 4km from the village to the nearest health facility but it’s now easy and I spend less time,”Miranda Moyana, Village Health Worker

“Being a Village Health Worker is an important job in my community. We have had cases where children are born at home and grow to 4 years without ever being exposed to the world beyond their home. It takes the Village Health Worker to reach those people and encourage them to take their babies for immunisation ,”Prisca Gwenzi, Village Health Worker

“I recall the first day l met Dr Nyamangodo the ZIRP doctor in Matende, Chimanimani, l was carried in a wheelbarrow by my nephew. I was in such a bad state and l could not even walk on my own. I had been ill for weeks and l had no money so l was just stuck at home getting worse everyday. Everyone thought l was going to die,” Tendai Sama Mungosa a resident of Matende Village in Chimanimani.

“We are capturing all the contacts, all the cases and sending the information to the server for national programming, planning and other activities that may take place. So work has become so easy with the bike and the tablet,” Bope Gapare, Environmental Health Technician