Health provision at Chatsworth

We will discuss health provision at Chatsworth. We are privileged to have an efficient small clinic here. It suffers from the same problems that the whole Zimbabwean health service suffers from but here we have a real community clinic serving a wide area including Chatsworth and its surrounding areas.  We will look at what you can get from such a small clinic and how that makes a difference to local residents.

The clinic currently is trying to increase its capacity and expertise but the government has asked the administrator to feel free to source resources from whomever they can be found. The government itself has no money to fund and aspect of the clinic.

There are no beds at the clinic apart from two reserved for maternity patients. This means that if an emergency arises within the catchment area of the clinic, the patient is referred to larger hospitals within reach. However, there is no ambulance at all in the very large area the clinic looks after. If a vehicle is required, the family of the sick hires a vehicle from anyone with one. The goodwill of those with vehicles has served the area heath provision for years and years. It is unlikely that the situation will change any time soon.

The clinic is very good at providing primary health care. some aspects of this care, such as vaccination, provision of ARVs, etc, are supported by international charities which also provide the infrastructure for storing the necessary medicines. Apart from that the clinic staff are always looking to find resources from private suppliers such as charities, private individuals, organisations, and others. At recent meeting at the clinic, we were all encouraged to support our clinic as best we could. The service is free to all who are ill and so the clinic cannot raise funds directly through charging.

How can you help? 
The clinic lacks some basic health provision items such as
-Surgical gloves,
-Syringes
-Needles
- medical hand tools
- Sterilisers
- etc.

If your place is disposing of any of these when there is nothing essentially wrong with them, If you think we can benefit from them, please Email us with your suggestion.  We are always grateful for any help you can provide.


How does the church help?
The church members, along with other residents help with cleaning the clinic grounds, encouraging residents to keep the area clean to limit the spread of diseases through poor environments.  The church also encourages all to practice safe sex with other residents or visitors, or to seek help where needed.

The church also encourages all people to read their Bibles for themselves instead of being told what the Bible says. This has come from the fact that some preachers are encouraging their listeners to stop taking regular medication such as ARVs and seek deliverance from the pastors. This has led to many people in the area losing their lives unnecessarily. We encourage all to continue taking their prescribed medication and reporting to the clinic as directed. We also encourage anyone experiencing a conflict in their minds, to seek help at the clinic first and then elsewhere if unhappy. As a church, we do not believe that our God wants us to die prematurely.

The church offers confidential counselling and referral to suitably qualified professional where necessary. For those unsure of whether or not to visit the clinic, the church elders will accompany them to the clinic, and help them get the excellent service the staff always offer.  We are happy to work with the clinic staff.

DIET and Nutrition:
The church believes in each member of the community taking charge of their well-being based on a clear understanding of all their dietary needs, exercise,  use of water, and adequate sleep. To this end we regularly hold seminars to show community members what constitutes a balanced diet and what the body needs.

The food shortages during this year (2016)'s drought have meant that the health of children and elderly are directly affected. We have solicited the help of supplementary foods manufacturers
http://www.epap.co.za/  of South Africa (who now have an office and supply depot in Bulawayo) to help us with supplies at affordable rates.  We have used their products in the area in the last two droughts and found them to be very helpful in improving general health of those in risk groups.

The provision of EPAP is currently led by the ladies group at our sister church at Elmwood, 10 km south of here. They have longer experience of it than we do so we take advice from them. They are trying to establish a permanent work relationship with the suppliers. Meetings are arranged for the later part of this year.

We also invite people of renown to come and speak to the community on specialised health topics.

We hope that the community at large will continue to support its clinic and that those who can support our clinic with material goods and equipment, will feel free to do so.

This clinic is an absolutely essential facility in our community and the staff are totally dedicated to their work. The church is proud to be part of the community health program.