Pemba clinic needs expansion, doctor

—- District Community Medical Officer, Brian Habasimbi, has reiterated the need to expand Pemba Main Community Rural Health Centre to include a female and children’s wards in order to accommodate admissions since the new district had received qualified medical doctors.

Dr Habasimbi, who is also the Chairperson for Planning Advisory Sub-committee for the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC), said his committee allocated over K303,000 for the construction of 1×3 admission block at Pemba main Health Centre.

Speaking during the DDCC meeting held at Pemba Catholic Hall, Dr Habasimbi disclosed that Pemba district currently had one main clinic and 15 rural health posts it inherited from Choma district, and patients who needed medical attention were referred to Monze, Choma or Maamba hospitals.

“Since doctors are around, there is need to attend to medical cases here and only cases that need surgery can be referred and so the construction of an additional female and children’s ward is necessary,” he said.

He said he was aware that plans were underway by government to construct about four hospitals in the province and Pemba had been earmarked for one hospital.

He said Pemba Main Clinic did not have enough space to accommodate all the services, adding that during male circumcision week, some rooms at the health centre were surrendered for the activity, resulting in congesting the centre.

Other projects under the health sector that were approved for funding in 2013 CDF were Siamuleya health post for the completion of a maternity wing funded with K62,750, and a construction of one staff house at Hajamba health post with K 184,415,000.

And in total 58 projects comprising school projects and the purchase of a CDF motor vehicle were approved for 2013 from the K1,300,000 funding.

Meanwhile, World Vision Cluster Program Manager for Moyo/Hamaundu Area Development in Pemba district, Kalimansi Sinyangwe, disclosed that works for Kanchomba Rural health centre and the expansion of Moyo rural health centres to level one hospitals had commenced and Angel Construction ltd,a Chinese construction company, was engaged at sums of k2,798,655 and k5,024,799 respectively.