Midlands Province hails Angel of Hope’s medical outreach
Tendai Rupapa
Mrs Janet Shoko sat cross-legged on a reed mat awaiting her turn to be screened for cervical cancer with tears rolling down her chubby cheeks as she thought about her sister, Bridget, who passed on late last year.
Bridget had been wasting away without knowing what was eating into her well-rounded frame, leaving her skinny and weak.
The family pointed at witchcraft and traded accusations with other family members and neighbours leading to strained relationships.
It was only after her death that the family was told Bridget had succumbed to cancer.
“My sister died a slow and painful death. We could see her wasting away and we all thought it was witchcraft at play until the day she breathed her last. Cancer is a dangerous disease and had we known and sought treatment early, she could have been alive.
“Taingotedza dzin’anga nemamwe machurch tichingonzi kuroiwa. Chokwadi rega vakuru vakati kusaziva kufa. I really thank the First Lady, our mother, Amai Mnangagwa for bringing in cancer screening services for both men and women to our province especially our community of Gokwe so that we get screened and commence treatment early to save lives,” she said as she wiped off her tears with the back of her hand.
She was not alone.
Her neighbour, Mrs Elizabeth Zhombe said she recently collapsed in the fields one afternoon following a long struggle with headache.
She had not sought medical help until yesterday when she attended the First Lady’s medical outreach programme. After health checks and tests, she was told she was diabetic.
She was immediately put on medication. On the men’s side, 50-year-old Njabulo Sibanda had been suffering in silence.
For some time, he had been having pain in the lower back, having difficulty urinating, sometimes seeing blood in the urine and unexplained weight loss.
“I found it hard to talk about it with anyone or to reach out for help at our local clinic. Mupfungwa dzangu ndaingoti chandakadya chapfuka nekuti sevarume tine twumisikanzwa twatinomboita.
“I later approached a certain old man in our village who “diagnosed” me and said it was a sexually transmitted disease. He started giving me some concoctions which he said would cure the disease. The pain did not go away. My health was deteriorating and later decided to tell my friend. He encouraged me to come today for free prostate cancer screening. My fears were confirmed, I was told I have prostate cancer.
“I want to thank Amai Mnangagwa for availing these services to us. Kune vamwe varume ndinoti ngativei nehushamwari nezvipatara tisafire mudzimba takanyarara. Let us safeguard our health and our lives,” he said.
It is because of such tales that the Midlands Province welcomed with both hands, health ambassador First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s two-day medical outreach programme where villagers were being screened for cancer and other non-communicable diseases free of charge.
Other services offered at the medical outreach included HIV and Aids testing and counselling, family planning services as well as polio vaccination for children below the age of 10.
In the past two days over 300 men were screened for prostate cancer and other health ailments, while thousands of women benefited from the services which were on offer.
People came from as far as Chirumhanzu, Shurugwi and Gweru. Mrs Chipo Sautare, a villager was equally ecstatic.
“Where on earth would anyone get such a person with a loving heart? Amai is committing time to assist our community with this medical outreach and for that, we must be grateful.
“Men do not readily accept health checks, but Amai is encouraging them to come and get screened and the move is paying dividends. We need to appreciate our mother, the First Lady,” she said.
“The First Lady is God-sent. She is doing wonders for our communities across the country and we must never miss such opportunities if we want to live longer and remain healthy enough to work and put food on the table for our children. Her love for humanity is clear and we need to embrace her teachings,” said Mr Oscar Denga.
The views dovetailed with those of Gogo Esther Moyo, who said she had been given an opportunity to have her health checked, something that had never happened in her life.
“I had never been screened for cancer or any other disease since birth and were it not for the First Lady, I do not know as to whether I would have accessed such services.
“The medical outreach programme attested to her great love and gave me a deeper sense of belonging,” she said with a broad smile.
Mr Darlington Jira said he felt privileged to have benefited from the medical outreach.
“The First Lady has made it possible for me to undergo a medical examination which gave me an action plan on how I can manage my health,” said another man.
This came as the medical outreach programme initiated by Dr Mnangagwa at Mapfungautsi Clinic in Gokwe Central entered its second and last day yesterday, with people from walks of life trooping in to access health services that were being offered free of charge.
Using her mobile hospital, mobile clinic and personnel from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Mnangagwa ensured women were screened for cervical cancer and breast cancer, while men were screened for prostate cancer. Midlands Provincial Medical Director Dr Mary Muchekeza described the medical outreach as being a resounding success and thanked the First Lady for rallying communities towards the preservation of health to save lives.
The outreach also comes amid advice by health experts that there were greater chances of survival for cancer patients who present early for treatment.
Dr Muchekeza also showered praises on the First Lady for enabling men to get screened for prostate cancer despite the age-old reality of males shunning health checks and only presenting for treatment when it was too late.
“I want to thank the First Lady for the programme that we have been having for the past two days in our province, the cancer screening programme that she was spearheading. Amai has been our ambassador for health and the champion of this programme for over so many years. Over the two days, we have seen an overwhelming presence of people wanting to get the services that we have been giving.
“We have been screening for cervical cancer in women, we have also been screening for breast cancer using the mobile hospital and clinic from Amai’s Angel of Hope Foundation.
“To support Amai’s vision, we also mobilised our own staff within the province to do what we call VIAC (visual inspection with acetic acid of the cervix) meaning the mouth of the uterus,” she said.
The provincial medical director said getting screened and knowing one’s health status were critical to save lives.
“Benefits of the programme are that you get picked early if you have any pre-cancerous signs on the cervix or on the breast. The difference that we have been having in this programme, that our mother brought for us, is that this time around at Mapfungautsi it involves men as well.
“We have been screening for prostate cancer, something that we have not been really doing very actively and our First Lady saw it fit for that to happen. We know men usually shun seeking health care. They usually want to use women as their proxies for their health.
“They say if my wife is okay, then I am okay. But Amai is encouraging men to get screened for prostate cancer and we are happy they came in their numbers. We cannot be more than grateful for this programme.
“It’s a programme that many people would not have had if Amai had not brought it to us. The reason why I am saying this is because it has brought together people from all walks of life, it has brought together doctors and nurses even from other districts to come and put their hands on deck to make sure that people are getting screened, thanks to Amai,” she said.
Dr Muchekeza said the First Lady’s medical outreach had been a great success and the Ministry of Health could build up on it to cover more areas countrywide.
“Gokwe is a very big district, it has a very big population: heath facility ratio of more than 1 to 11 000 and a very spaciously populated so much so that so many people do not have the privilege of even going to a health facility, so when we have an outreach like this when Amai does something like this, it is always more than welcome.
“We are very happy that at the end of the two days, Amai has managed to encourage people to seek health care including men.
“As I speak, people from Gokwe have come, people from Kwekwe District have come, Gweru and Chirumhanzu districts also came. It just shows the magnitude of the response that we have gotten for this programme,” she said.
The provincial medical director also paid tribute to the First Lady for promoting healthy eating and wellness, saying this also boded well for the country’s economic development.
“Amai has been talking about general wellness. What you eat also has an effect on whether you are healthy or not.
“Amai has been emphasising the fact that if you are not healthy, there is no economic development that you can talk about and I cannot agree with her more as a provincial medical director. So we are also preaching the wellness gospel, watch what you eat, exercise, get seen, get screened, and get told early about whatever condition that you are suffering from whether it is BP, diabetes, or arthritis, we are saying get checked as much as possible and as frequently as advised by the health professionals so that you remain healthy, you live longer and you then have a contribution towards your economic development. As an individual, as a household, as a family, as a community and as a district,” she said.
Gokwe Central legislator Cde Daveson Masvisvi praised the First Lady for holding the medical outreach in his constituency.
“First and foremost, our heartfelt gratitude goes to you Amai, the First Lady for your unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of Zimbabweans, particularly women and vulnerable groups.
“Your dedication through the Angel of Hope Foundation continues to touch lives and bring hope to many. Your presence here is a true testament to your love for the people and we are truly grateful.
“This cancer screening initiative is not just a health intervention, but a significant step towards achieving Vision 2030. As we strive to build a prosperous and healthy nation, a healthy Zimbabwe is a progressive Zimbabwe and your efforts in ensuring that no one is left behind, especially in remote areas like Gokwe are commendable,” he said.
The First Lady has been involved in many medical outreaches, ensuring no place and no one is left behind, demonstrating her love for the nation. – Herald