IPEC-Supported Medical Outreach Brings Relief to Over 1,500 Beneficiaries in Mbire and Mt Darwin
About 1,600 elderly people and road accident victims in Mbire and Mt Darwin districts of Mashonaland Central Province last week received free medical treatment, medicines, and health education during a medical outreach programme coordinated by the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC).
The outreach, conducted in partnership with the insurance and pensions industry players and the Ministry of Health and Child Care, and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, took place from 27 to 31 October 2025.
The initiative was aimed at bringing essential healthcare services to hard-to-reach and marginalised communities, targeting the elderly and road accident victims.
Speaking on the sidelines of the outreach programme, Mbire District Medical Officer, Dr Edwicks Chidziva, applauded IPEC and its partners for responding to a critical need in the district.
He said given that Mbire district is in a safari, it made it difficult for villagers to visit health facilities due to human-wildlife conflict, which has seen some villagers losing their lives from wildlife attacks.
“The areas that we covered, like Komba, Mupedzapasi, and Chitima, are some of the hard-to-reach areas,” he said.
“This programme came at the right time, we were able to get to where the people are and offer them most of the services they would have received at a health facility.
“We truly appreciate IPEC and its partners that came on board, and provided medicines, all the equipment and tents, even refreshments for our patients as they were receiving the services.”
His sentiments were echoed by Dr Tatenda Munyoro from Mt Darwin District Hospital, who highlighted the life-changing impact of the outreach on the elderly:
“We have a lot of elderly people who are having many medical conditions but are failing to seek attention, because some of them do not have the money to come to the hospital or buy medications.
“I want to thank our partners, the Insurance and Pensions Commission and insurance companies and pension funds, for supporting this programme. Most elderly patients that we are seeing here would not have been able to access the medication that they are receiving (during the medical outreach).
IPEC’s Public Relations Manager, Mr Lloyd Gumbo, said IPEC would continue to work closely with the insurance and pensions industry and the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to extend similar programmes to other provinces:
“These outreach programmes demonstrate what can be achieved when we work together for the greater good. As IPEC, we are committed to supporting initiatives that not only enhance financial inclusion but also improve the well-being of communities, particularly the elderly and vulnerable.”
Mr Gumbo appreciated the support received from all the partners to ensure the programme was a success.
The partners included: Zimbabwe Association of Pension Funds (ZAPF), Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ), Old Mutual, Nyaradzo, Doves, Fidelity Life, ZB, Minerva, Econet Life, Ministry of Health and Child Care, and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
