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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls

National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has set up a mobile clinic in Lupane to offer free medical services to members of the community throughout the week.

This comes as NSSA recently opened a satellite office at Lupane centre to offer social security services to the district.

NSSA recently opened satellite offices in Lupane, Binga, Nkayi and Plumtree, adding to the Hwange, Victoria Falls, Gwanda and Beitbridge sub-offices in Matabeleland region.

NSSA is a statutory corporate body tasked to provide social security to citizens, especially through paying medical costs related to injury at the workplace and protecting individual life situations or conditions that threaten livelihood.

A road show was held in partnership with National FM on Sunday to educate people about social security among other services, as well as roll-out the week-long free medical service programme in an effort to help citizens who are struggling to access healthcare.

A total of 127 people were attended to by a doctor at the mobile clinic on the first day on Sunday.

Speaking at the launch of the outreach programme in Lupane on Sunday, NSSA Matabeleland regional manager Ms Sithatshisiwe Khumalo said the gesture is part of the statutory body’s corporate social responsibility.

She said some community members have been having challenges of lack of transport money to visit NSSA offices or other social services that are mostly found in urban areas.

In Matabeleland North, most people travel to Bulawayo to seek services with a few going to Hwange and Victoria Falls, the only urban centres in the province.

“This is your week Lupane. We are having this road show today and starting tomorrow (yesterday) up to Friday, our teams will be in this district and will visit major centres like Gomoza, Lupaka, Jotsholo, Insuza, St Luke’s, St Paul’s and others educating the community about social security.

“Some worked while others have relatives that worked and contributed to NSSA and we are doing this rural outreach because in the rural areas there are orphans, widows, widowers, those who retired on medical grounds and injury and the elderly. We intend to assist them in their own backyard and also tell everyone that we have opened an office here in Lupane for their convenience,” said Ms Khumalo.

During the outreach, NSSA officials will be engaging community leaders like village heads and councillors as well as attending to individual concerns brought to them.

Some members of the community have complained about failing to access their claims or about numerous demands from the State entity resulting in many losing their contributions.

“We brought the mobile clinic as well to provide free medical services and free medical drugs. We are doing all this with our great communication partner (National FM),” said Ms Khumalo.

Members of the public were excited to received free medical treatment, especially at a time when health facilities are far apart and some people travel about 20km to their nearest clinic.

“I am very grateful to NSSA not only for opening an office here but also for giving us free treatment. While we can no longer travel long distances to the city for NSSA issues, we have been given hope in life because in my case, I have a back ache and they gave me treatment. We are grateful to have such programmes in our community,” said Mr Kenneth Ncube from Gundwane area.

Ms Alphina Mnkandla from Mhlahlandlela in Matshiya Ward 15 said she was given treatment for her painful back and legs.

“For the first time in a long time I had a peaceful painless sleep last night after being treated for asthma, back pain and painful legs. I have been enduring the pain without getting treatment because I could not get money for transport to the hospital.

“We thank NSSA and everyone who thought of bringing this programme for us. We hope they will continue doing it and save us from cost of travel,” she said.

Another beneficiary Mr Robert Sibanda from Sibangani area said for the first time since leaving his job in Victoria Falls close to a decade ago, he could be attended closer to his home for his pension queries.

“I came to complete forms at the new office. I used to go to Victoria Falls where I used to work but lately I have been struggling with transport costs. Opening an office here is the best thing NSSA has done for us as a community,” he said.

Improving livelihoods of citizens forms part of the Second Republic’s goal towards an upper middle income society. -@ncubeleon