By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
COMMUNITIES in Beitbridge are increasingly embracing the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s mobile health clinic programme, which is providing free sexual and reproductive health services around Beitbridge.
The mobile clinic initiative, introduced under the HIV Knows No Borders project, operates 10 days every month across 10 locations in Beitbridge.
The programme is being implemented through a collaboration between the IOM and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe.
Speaking during a tour of IOM operations at Beitbridge Border Post, IOM Zimbabwe Chief of Mission Diana Cartier said the programme has recorded encouraging progress since its launch.
“We have seen the programme progressing and being successful, especially among the male population, who are less likely to go to medical clinics and seek the support they need,” said Cartier.
She said the mobile clinics are helping bridge healthcare access gaps by bringing services directly into communities.
“The services are all related to sexual and reproductive health, and they are delivered directly within communities. The services are free, and we are implementing them in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care,” she said.
Cartier said the initiative has also improved public understanding of issues such as family protection, gender responsibility, and child protection.
“We have recorded progress in terms of acceptance, with communities increasingly understanding the importance of the role of both men and women in protecting their families. There is also growing awareness around child protection, although behavioural change remains a long-term process,” she said.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Zimbabwe, Matthijs van Eeuwen, commended Zimbabwe for the progress being made in the fight against HIV and expressed optimism that the country could achieve its target of ending HIV by 2030.
“I am impressed by the strides Zimbabwe has made towards achieving this goal before 2030. We are not there yet, but from what I have seen on the ground, a lot has been done,” he said.
The HIV Knows No Borders project combines healthcare services, sexual health education, and livelihood support for vulnerable populations living along migration corridors such as Beitbridge.