The Sunday Mail
Dr Edwin Muguti
As you drive along Willowvale Road towards Glen View in Harare, the road is in a sorry state, it is actually impassable. This reflects the poor state of the economy and infrastructure. Thus, when infrastructure is dilapidated, there is poor hygiene and sanitation. In such conditions, diseases like typhoid are inevitable.Typhoid is a disease that is normally found in such places of poor hygiene and sanitation. It is highly associated with poverty because communities that are exposed to poor sanitation and hygiene are the ones at greater risk.
Infrastructure in most areas is dilapidated. Our water and sewer reticulation as well as our public health institutions are in bad shape. This is worse in the high density suburbs. The state of the infrastructure is atrocious. It has always been bad, but now it has really gone from bad to worse.
There is need to overhaul the infrastructure, the water, sewer reticulation system and lift the general standards of living for people so that they are not exposed to these diseases. Thus our answer lies in paying adequate attention to our water and sewer reticulation infrastructure.
Infrastructure must be upgraded. Due to its population density, Harare contributes largely to diarrhoeal diseases than most cities in the country. The city is failing to live to the status of metropolitan.
Funds need to be sourced and infrastructure needs to be replaced urgently. Residents also need to get a constant supply of clean portable water, whether they have paid for it or not.
Whilst we know that there are costs associated with bringing water to households, Government should be able to subsidise water supplies so that everyone gets water. If the prepaid water meters are fully rolled out, there should be a facility for residents to continue receiving water even if there is no payment. Water is a basic right and everybody should get clean treated water. Decongestion of the high density suburbs and cleaning up the environment is of paramount importance. Collection of the garbage that continues to pile up can never be over emphasised.
The city council should also religiously apply the city by-laws concerning health issues. By-laws that concern health issues are being violated left, right and centre and nothing is being done about it.
Food is now being cooked and sold everywhere in the CBD while the local authority is doing nothing about the situation. To make matter worse, the city does not have many functional public toilets.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care, because it has the mandate to cater for the health needs of the nation, has to play a central role in solving the problem. They are the ultimate authority that deals with health issues in the country.
We must put in place all the necessary measures. Typhoid is a disease of the past, surely we cannot have it causing deaths in this era.
The best way to fight typhoid is to adequately prepare for it, but in the event of an outbreak, our primary health care facilities should be adequately resourced to make the right diagnosis, to resuscitate and to refer to infectious diseases hospitals.
However, maybe due misallocation or poor allocation of resources to the health sector, most of our institutions are not adequately equipped to deal with emergencies, they lack resources and manpower.
It is unfortunate that lives have been lost unnecessarily. During the rainy season, we expect all health workers to be on the lookout for water borne diseases because our water sources will be contaminated.
The health sector, which encompasses all these issues, is not adequately playing its role. The Ministry needs to take this matter seriously and urgently engage the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development so as to improve funding for the sector.
Funds have to be released to health institutions for restocking, buying medical equipment and for recruitment purposes.
Funds to replace and revamp infrastructure, particularly water and sewer, have to be availed and the Ministry of Health and Child Care needs to oversee the implementation of such programmes.
There is need to come up with a solution as soon as possible. If the problem is not rectified, it will arise again next year and the following years to come. Dr Edwin Muguti if the former deputy minister of Health and Child Care.
