The MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has described the cholera outbreak and the resultant deaths as a serious indictment and a signal that the country is still hanging in the past saying waterborne diseases are of the past.
Speaking during the tour of cholera affected areas in Glenview 8 and Budiriro today, Chamisa said the country should be exploiting modernity outcomes such as technologies and highly skilled doctors and young people to put to bed diseases like cholera saying the number of deaths are a reflective of the country being stuck in the past.
“21 deaths on account of cholera is not something that tells you that the country is moving forward. It tells you that the country is moving backward because cholera and typhoid are diseases of the past.
“It’s a very serious issue we must make sure we up ourselves to deal with this problem. It’s actual an embarrassment to say in this day and age where we have modern technologies, where we have modernity, young people ,great doctors, we are struggling with cholera? And we have lost lives, it’s a very serious indictment to our county and we need to make that we fight this problem together,” said Chamisa.
Health officials at Glenview Council Clinic said the cholera cases has so far clocked at 3000 with 21 deaths having been recorded.
The youthful opposition leader said cholera has reached extreme levels that require a national coordinated program that goes beyond finger pointing in what appeared to be a punch back to the government which through the newly appointed minister of Health Obadiah Moyo blamed City of Harare for outbreak.
“This is a very significant problem. We need to go beyond just finger pointing between local government and central government,” added Chamisa.
During the tour, Chamisa also visited and consoled two families who lost their relatives due to cholera.
Meanwhile, Chamisa expressed gratitude to the corporate world for its responsiveness in assisting people with cholera relief facilities such as clean water.
“We also appreciate the support, I understand the support we have had from the corporate sector those who have volunteered like Econet and many others,” he said.
Harare mayor Herbert Gomba who accompanied Chamisa together with other MDC top leadership, also extended appreciation to the corporate world saying the council had already identified areas that need more facilities for outbreak response.
