By Joyce Mukucha
The Mt Pleasant Clinic which was closed for the past seven months has been officially re-opened by the Mayor of Harare Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni with the aim of providing quality health services to the suburb’s residents. The refurbishment process commenced during the course of last year.
The clinic was renovated after it deteriorated. Cllr Manyenyeni said he was proud of the City of Harare because of its fantastic job and commitment to providing quality health service to the residents as it was the centre of excellence. The strategic facility caters for a population of 29 448.
Speaking during the official re-opening of the clinic on the 19th of March 2018 in Mt Pleasant, Cllr Manyenyeni said that the council had seen it important to prioritise its renovation in order to extend satisfactory services to the residents of the suburb. He commended the City Health Department for providing the renovation material.
“As we take responsibility of public health needs of our satellite local people, it is important that we provide proper health care for to the communities. The City health department as the custodian of the facility played a major role in proving materials for the renovation. The clinic had major leaks. The ceiling was falling off and the floors had potholes which posed danger to the patients and staff. The city health department therefore provided the labour,” Manyenyeni said.
There is an increase of non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes which can be tackled by wellness and cancer screening clinics. Manyenyeni said it was his expectation that the clinic would offer such services.
“My vision for this clinic goes beyond these renovations. It is my hope that the services being offered here be enhanced to include other modern services like wellness clinics as well as prostate and cervical cancer screening,” he said.
The Mayor acknowledged the coordination and administration of all the works received from different stakeholders for the renovation process to become a success. He thanked the Celebration Church which provided paint for the small building, vanishing clear, tints, and land scalping services.
Manyenyeni thanked Mr Greg Pozzo, a resident from Mt Pleasant, who offered a helping hand during the refurbishment process. Mr Pozzo donated a wheelchair which will be used as part of the clinic’s furniture.
In an interview with Ms Marian Mverechena, the Chief Area Administration Officer for Zone 6, said although the renovations were still underway, the clinic must start operating with immediate effect.
Ms Mverechena pointed out that it was team work that led to the achievement of the project. She also said that it was through the Mayor’s motivation which was critical for the community’s well-being.
“As the health department, we are concerned about people’s fitness. That is why we are thriving and we expect to start offering services as soon as possible. The refurbishment process was a major task which required working together of residents and different stakeholders. It was closed for the past seven months and this day marks great pleasure to residents as they will be able to receive treatment they may need close to home,” said Ms Mverechena.
Dr Collel Madembo, the District Medical Officer said it was the city health department’s commitment to serve the people and provide customer satisfaction. Therefore, he said, they were going to continue offering support to the community. He urged the residents of the community to continue working hard in ensuring that the strategic facility does not deteriorate once again as well as to make other communities replicate the good works of the people of Mt Pleasant suburb.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Mr John Travellers, the Chief Executive Officer of Arundel Village Shopping Centre said the majority was excited by the Mayor’s concern for the Mt Pleasant community.