Source: Mutare cuts maternity fees, appoints doctor at clinics – herald
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MUTARE City Council has slashed maternity and consultation charges and now employs a full‑time doctor at its health centres, a move that civic organisations say will dramatically improve access to care for residents.
The announcement came during a Local Accountability for Citizen Engagement (LACE) community interface meeting, jointly organised by the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) and the United Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Trust (UMRRT).
The session, which also included representatives from the Mutare Informal Traders Association (MITA), provided a platform for residents to scrutinise the council’s 2026 budget.
Presenting the approved budget, finance manager Mr Seth Manyara revealed that, for the first time, the local authority has secured a dedicated doctor for its council clinics. The fee reductions and new doctor are intended to ease financial pressure on residents and improve healthcare delivery across the city.
The welcome development comes at a time when residents are bearing the brunt of high consultation fees and maternity charges at private clinics, and overcrowding at public hospitals.
SMEs officer Mr John Chipenya revealed that the city is embarking on refurbishment and expansion of existing markets like Friendly Market (central business district) and Mwamuka Market (Sakubva), where the council plans to construct modern ablution facilities with running water, children play centre, and food outlet.
“The local authority is collaborating with partners in the modernisation of markets, in particular aiming to equip them with appropriate and accessible ablution facilities for persons with disabilities,” he said.
Traders’ representatives, during the plenary, appealed with the council to enforce by‑laws against traders selling from undesignated sites like shop pavements, as people were now not buying from them, thus discouraging those who pay for their licences to the council.
Some traders appealed for the council to have payment plans so they could clear their arrears, something which the local authority was amenable to.
VISET executive director, Mr Samuel Wadzai commended the local authority for largely incorporating the views of residents and informal traders, as demonstrated by the introduction of doctors’ services and reduction in maternity fees.
“We urge residents to continually monitor the budget execution process, and we exhort the council to report back to the residents where they are unable to implement service‑delivery undertakings,” said Mr Mangoma.
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