Centre News Health Hub
Masvingo-The days of meandering, boring and long hours waiting time in queues at Masvingo city council health institutions dotted around various wards are over.
Thanks to the local authority’s bold move to embrace digitilisation of its work through the provisions of new information technology gadgets to serve patients with ease and speed.
The city council has transformed to a new culture of work coupled with the provisions of smart tablets and computers highly powered by high speed Wi-Fi connectivity to capture patients data, administered medication as well as improved communicating with clients.
A recent visit to almost all local clinics run by the city council has revealed this development that has comprehended the transformation of business from paper work to digital.
MCC Mayor, Aleck Tabe, says the clinics are quietly redefining how healthcare is delivered through the rollout of the Impilo electronic health record (EHR) system and improved Wi-Fi connectivity.
“Patients are being served faster, records are more secure, and staff are spending less time buried in paperwork,” Mayor Tabe briefly summed up.
He added that the digital transition is being undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) under the Impilo Digital Health Platform and is part of a wider national push to modernise healthcare and use technology to improve efficiency, access, and quality of service.
Local nurses and staff at the clinics acknowledged that this is one of the biggest shifts seen in the history of resident clinics operations.
“We are spending less time looking for paper files and more time attending to patients.” A senior nurse at one of the clinics said.
The transition has brought significant faster service, better records and data capturing model as until recently, most Masvingo City Council clinics relied entirely on paper registers.
“Today, patient information is captured digitally through the Impilo EHR system, allowing instant record retrieval at every visit, we are going paperless” The health department added.
The local authority bragged that waiting times have dropped significantly, in some cases, from around 30 minutes to just 15, while patient flow is smoother than ever and data entry errors have declined critically.
The system also makes it easier for the City’s Health Department to monitor service delivery and ensure accurate reporting to the Ministry. Real-time data is now available to track disease trends, improve resource allocation, and plan outreach activities more effectively.
Since the clinics are now linked to the Impilo network, their data automatically feeds into the national health information systems, creating a more complete picture of healthcare delivery in Zimbabwe’s urban communities.
The initiative has been supported by the Government and partners including PEPFAR and UNICEF, who are helping to strengthen digital health infrastructure across the country.
The system has also improved accountability and transparency while improving the patients experience of pleasant service provision.
MCC has also begun piloting telemedicine services through the Impilo network which allows patients to consult doctors or specialists remotely, using secure digital links between clinics and higher-level health facilities.
Health officials at the department say the pilot aims to test how technology can bridge gaps in specialist coverage and reduce costs for patients who would otherwise travel long distances for review.
Early feedback has been promising, and expansion to more sites is planned once initial testing is complete.
For healthcare workers, the new system has eased the administrative burden of repetitive data entry and manual aggregation of reports. This has improved staff morale and allowed more time for direct patient care.
“Exit interviews also show higher patient satisfaction, with many clients appreciating shorter queues, faster registration, and clearer communication about their care,” The health department observed.
MCC operates Mucheke Clinic, Rujeko clinic, Runyararo Clinic and recently opened Runyararo North West Clinic
