News / National
Binga villagers turn to traditional medicine
21 Oct 2013 at 11:52hrs | Views
Lack of medicine and a shortage of medical staff at Binga Government Hospital have seen most sick villagers turning to traditional healers for treatment.
The hospital which serves more than 100 000 villagers is the only one in the district. The situation is also compounded by the fact that it is one of the few major hospitals which do not train nurses in the country.
"The government should give our hospital permission to train nurses. We don't see the reason why the hospital is not being given the greenlight since it has capacity to train more than 50 nurses at a time.
"These student nurses will also help when there is shortage of qualified nurses. If other hospitals in this province like Tsholotsho Hospital are allowed to train nurses, what is stopping us?" Binga Rural District Council chairperson Mukombwe Dube said.
Binga is one of the poorest and under developed districts in the country which is also facing serious hunger due to drought.
People in the district survive mostly on fish from the nearby Zambezi River and wild fruits.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (Fao), fishing is central to the livelihood of more than 200 million people globally, especially in the developing world.
But fish stocks are in jeopardy and are under increasing pressure from overfishing and environmental degradation.
Zimbabwe is also one of the six southern African countries hit by drought this year, leaving over 14 million people in the affected countries in need of urgent food aid.
The hospital which serves more than 100 000 villagers is the only one in the district. The situation is also compounded by the fact that it is one of the few major hospitals which do not train nurses in the country.
"The government should give our hospital permission to train nurses. We don't see the reason why the hospital is not being given the greenlight since it has capacity to train more than 50 nurses at a time.
"These student nurses will also help when there is shortage of qualified nurses. If other hospitals in this province like Tsholotsho Hospital are allowed to train nurses, what is stopping us?" Binga Rural District Council chairperson Mukombwe Dube said.
People in the district survive mostly on fish from the nearby Zambezi River and wild fruits.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (Fao), fishing is central to the livelihood of more than 200 million people globally, especially in the developing world.
But fish stocks are in jeopardy and are under increasing pressure from overfishing and environmental degradation.
Zimbabwe is also one of the six southern African countries hit by drought this year, leaving over 14 million people in the affected countries in need of urgent food aid.
Source - dailynews
