THE Entumbane community in Bulawayo has stepped up efforts to improve local healthcare services by donating medical equipment to the Bulawayo City Council.
Residents, operating under the banner of the Entumbane Ambulance Group, last week handed over medical equipment to the City of Bulawayo at a ceremony attended by the local authority officials and other community members.
The programme began as a grassroots effort to raise funds for an ambulance and evolved into a practical and immediate solution providing equipment to Entumbane Clinic.
The residents aimed to raise enough funds to buy an ambulance, but raised only US$1 789. Instead of giving up, the residents decided to use the money to buy medical equipment for the clinic, including wheelchairs, a blood pressure testing machine, baby scales and stationery.
A representative of the Entumbane Ambulance group, Nkosikhona Mlilo, said the donation was a direct response to the challenges the community faced when seeking medical help.
“We realised that we didn’t have enough for an ambulance, but we still wanted to make a difference,” he said.
“We have more projects lined up. We want to modernise our clinic and continue working hand-in-hand with council. This is about building a better Entumbane.”
Mayor David Coltart said the city must embrace self-reliance.
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“We should not be looking up to the government or the international world to turn our city around, it starts with us,” he said.
“What Entumbane has done is inspirational. These are the initiatives that will change the face of Bulawayo. It speaks volumes about what is possible when residents take ownership of their future.”
Bulawayo City health services director Edwin Mzingwane applauded the community for not only identifying a problem but acting to solve it while setting an example for other suburbs and stakeholders.
“Such initiatives should not stop at clinics but there are many areas from schools to waste management where communities can come together to uplift themselves, Entumbane has shown us the way,” he said.
