Roseline Mutare
CHIREDZI-In a move aimed at reducing infant mortality rate, SolidarMed has donated a neonatal incubator worth $8,153 to Chikombedzi Mission Hospital in Ward 11, Chiredzi South, under Chief Mpapa.
Codelia Kunzekwenyika, Project Manager for Adolescent Health and Early Childhood Development and HIV/TB research, said the decision to source the neonatal incubator was prompted by the high number of baby losses at the hospital.
“We discovered that Chikombedzi hospital was losing many babies, because they were operating without an incubator and we decided to intervene,” Kunzekwenyika said.
Samson Nyoni, Provincial Health Services Administrator, representing Provincial Medical Director Amedius Shamu, urged the hospital to utilize the equipment wisely.
“This donation is a significant boost to improved healthcare services in the province. We appeal to the hospital management to ensure that the equipment is used for its intended purpose and properly maintained,” Said Nyoni.
Makolo Urombo, Ward 11 Councillor, expressed his gratitude to SolidarMed for the donation.
“We are grateful for this generous donation, which will go a long way in saving the lives of newborn babies in our community,” Urombo said.
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In addition to the neonatal incubator donation, SolidarMed is also implementing other projects in the area. These include training adolescents aged 19 and below to become peer educators in an effort to reduce the spread of HIV and STIs. The organization is also sponsoring Echocardiography for heart conditions and fundoscopy for eye problems, with 1,340 people screened and 214 receiving treatment. Furthermore, SolidarMed is providing dental consumables and expertise to the hospital.
SolidarMed is a humanitarian organisation operating in Masvingo’s three districts namely Zaka, Bikita and Chiredzi with a mission to change the quality of health care for rural people through a variety of programs and research initiatives.
