Tshinga Dube sources medication for thousands

THE Minister of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube was forced to fork out cash from his own pocket for the purchase of medication for the treatment of hundreds of people that thronged a Heath Expo he organised at Makokoba high density suburb in Bulawayo recently.

Rtd Col Dube who is also Makokoba representative in the National Assembly organised a Health Expo for the treatment of the less privileged members of the community two weeks ago. The Health Expo saw 14 Chinese specialist doctors that were engaged through the Ministry of Health and Child Care under a Government- to-Government agreement treating more than 2 500 patients from Makokoba and other suburbs in Bulawayo including some that came all the way from various districts in Matabeleland North Province receiving free treatment.

The Chinese health experts were assisted by six doctors from Mpilo Central Hospital led by the Principal Director Dr Xolani Ndlovu while 28 nurses were drawn from Bulawayo City Council's Department of Health Services. A number of health institutions such as PSI, Diabetes Association of Zimbabwe and KEI Laboratories were also in attendance. The Chinese Government provided medication including the executive of a leading pharmaceutical firm Cde Fred Mutanda who chipped in with remedies worth $4 000.

"Initially the programme was meant to cater for 1 000 people but we ended up having about 2 500 people. As a result we ended up experiencing a shortage of medication but all the people had been diagnosed and we told them to come back today (yesterday) and we gave them their medication," said Rtd Col Dube.