At long last, clinic comes to Linda
By Roy KausaMIRRIAM Tembo (not real name) is bitten by a cobra one Saturday morning. The 13-year-old girl dies as her relatives desperately look for a wheelbarrow to take her to Mount Makulu clinic, seven kilometres away.
The girl was an orphan, looked after by her 89-year-old grandmother. As neighbours and other residents in Lusaka’s Linda compound converge at the funeral house to mourn Miriam, a young boy comes running towards the funeral house and announces that bamake Mpundu (mother of Twins) had just collapsed.
The neighbours are rocked by confusion. They do not know what has hit them. This scenario is not strange because Linda compound has not had a clinic for many years.
Now a long held dream has come true. The hearts of freedom fighter and former minister Simon Zukas and his wife Cynthia have been touched by the sufferings of Linda residents. Mr Zukas has had a long history of distinguished public service.
The couple has just built a clinic for Linda residents as part of efforts to make health services more accessible.
The Zukas’ farm Balmoral shares boundaries with Linda Compound and Buckley. Some of the Balmoral farm workers live in Linda compound.
Simon and Cynthia Zukas have for a long time agonised over their workers walking long distances to Chilanga and Kamwala for medical treatment.
Mr Zukas says Balmoral and Buckley have a “split personality” as they appear to belong to two local authorities-- Lusaka and Kafue.
Some residents pay rates to Kafue district council but the roads are the responsibility of Lusaka city council. The result is a general lack of delivery of critical services. The roads are in bad shape and other services are just non-existent because one council probably expects the other to take responsibility and vice versa.
“It took us close to 10 years to plan and put finances and other logistics together before we commenced the construction of this clinic a year ago,” Mr Zukas says, pointing at the new structure.
The Zukas family raised funds for the clinic project by selling a portion of their Balmoral farm. They raised a substantial sum of money.
“Since I am a retiree, I had more time to design and build the clinic. The people of Linda formed the Zukas-Linda Trust, so it was easy for all of us to turn this into a strong community based project,” Mr Zukas says.
Word quickly went around Linda that the Zukas family and the Linda trust were building a clinic. A small scale builder, Denny Silungwe approached Mr Zukas for work.
“Silungwe was very helpful, not only as a builder. He even negotiated on behalf of the Zukas-Linda Trust with the various authorities in the Ministry of health in Kafue,” Mr Zukas recalls.
The actual building started 12 months ago with a lot of help from Alan Zukas, the Zukas-Linda trust, Cossie Findlay and Elijah Mulamba.
When the project was mooted, the Kafue district health department was expected to run the clinic, especially for expectant mothers. The plan was that the Linda community would provide accommodation for two nurses.
Mr Zukas says while logistics were being organised, the Sisters of Mercy from Buckley asked Neri Clinics to help out.
The Neri Clinics is an Irish Christian charitable organisation which has provided equipment to the Zukas-Linda Trust clinic.
“It was a dream come true. Neri clinics will run the new clinic in Linda compound,” says Mr Zukas.
The Neri clinics has branches promoting healthy living all over the world promoting and were for a place to work from in Zambia when they stumbled on the Zukas initiative.
The Neri Clinics has already provided a doctor, a nurse and a physiotherapist but their major programme is healthy living, which includes HIV and AIDS prevention and Antiretroviral Therapy.
Chairperson of the Neri clinics Garret Sheehan who will be jointly operating the clinic with some Zambian workers, says it is the responsibility of individuals to stay healthy and contribute to the growth and development of their country.
Linda residents were full of joy at the recent opening of the Zukas-Linda Trust Clinic.
Zambia’s first republican president Kenneth Kaunda, who was guest, said access to health services is a human right which must be provided to all.
“As we all know, Linda is one of the residential areas in Lusaka with a rapidly growing population. It lacks proper amenities such as health centres, sanitation facilities and schools,” Dr Kaunda said.
He says the people of Linda compound face a lot of challenges including poverty, underdevelopment, illiteracy, health problems such as HIV and AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and many others.
“Despite all the problems, Linda residents are amazingly resourceful and creative,” he says.
And Dr Kaunda spoke highly of Simon Zukas and his wife who he described as servants of God’s people, particularly the weak and vulnerable.
He urged the Zukas family to continue serving the public. Dr Kaunda also makes particular mention of Simon Zukas’ decision to identify himself with the struggle for political independence in Zambia.
Patriotic Front Member of Parliament for Kanyama Colonel Gerry Chanda said the people of Linda compound had endured a lot of hardships.
Col Chanda says it is the responsibility of Government to provide health care services, although other people and institutions can also help.
One of the Linda compound residents Stella Chola says she is happy to see a clinic in Linda.
“We have suffered for a long time. It was not easy to take sick people to Mount Makulu or the UTH, especially in the rainy season. Some mothers delivered from home due to lack of health services. In some cases, some of the mothers lost their lives,” Ms Chola says.
And 85-year-old Lackson Phiri is also elated that Linda compound finally has a clinic. He urges all Linda residents to treasure the clinic.
“The work of Mr and Mrs Zukas will benefit a lot of us. The couple has really helped us. I am so happy that this clinic has become a reality.
My grandchildren used to take me to Mount Makulu clinic on a wheel barrow, but today, I thank God we have a clinic within our community. I will die a happy man,” a beaming Mr Phiri says.
Linda compound residents have every reason to take their hats off to retired veteran politician Simon Zukas and his wife Cynthia who have made their dream come true.
The misery of walking long distances in search of health care may be over, but the state of the roads leaves much to be desired. The roads are impassable and drivers have to “negotiate” their way around Linda.
/MISA%20promoting%20media%20diversity%20_%20pluralism%20_%20self-sufficiency%20_%20independence_files/spacer.gif){kind=spacer}
