By Nokuthaba Dlamini
Crumbling road infrastructure and emergency transport costs are making ambulance journeys difficult for some residents of Matabeleland North, with rural health workers warning that delays can have severe consequences for patients in critical condition.
In remote communities such as Tinde in Binga, village health worker Margaret Bernard says families often face long waits for emergency transport.
“It can take up to seven hours for an ambulance to come from Binga District Hospital to Tinde,” she said. “When there is an emergency, it becomes very difficult because some people die before the ambulance arrives or on the way to hospital.”
She added that while air ambulance services are sometimes available for emergencies, they are not always accessible to local clinics, meaning patients must first reach the district hospital, a cost many families struggle to afford.
The crisis is compounded by transport charges. Bernard said the US$45 fee required to hire an ambulance to Binga District Hospital is beyond the reach of many households.
Some residents say they have been forced to turn to private arrangements. A Victoria Falls resident said he once paid about US$240 for fuel to transport his critically ill mother to Bulawayo after an ambulance was unavailable due to fuel shortages.
Local leaders say poor road conditions are also contributing to delays and risks during patient transfers.
Nkayi ward 18 councillor Thubelihle Mabuza Ncube said long travel times and damaged roads were affecting emergency response.
“Ambulances are meant to speed when transferring emergency patients, but it is not the case,” she said. “It can take up to seven hours to reach Bulawayo because of potholes, dust and narrow roads. Some patients have died while being ferried or while families are still trying to raise money for fuel.”
The issue was also raised in the Senate on 9 April, where Senator Ritta Ndlovu called for urgent attention to the Bulawayo–Tsholotsho and Dete–Binga roads.
“Last week I used these roads and it is as if you are in a dream travelling along those roads,” she said. “It is now taking seven to ten hours to get to our destination.”
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona acknowledged the poor state of the country’s road network, saying rehabilitation work was being planned.
“I want to concur with you that a number of our roads are in a sorry state because of various reasons,” he said.
He told the Senate that tender processes for several road projects had been completed, adding that work would begin once the rainy season ends.
“We are just waiting for the rains to stop and very soon, there will be massive rehabilitation programmes in Matabeleland South and North,” he said.
Mhona said the Kwekwe–Nkayi–Lupane Road was among priority projects, noting it would significantly reduce travel distance between Harare and Victoria Falls once completed. He, however, urged patience, saying the government was managing a large national road network.
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