OTCE RESIDENTS RELY ON TRICYCLE AS AN AMBULANCE

Community members in Ayaa central village during a community dialogue.

By Araba Kalsum

Moyo

Residents of Ayaa central village Pajakiri parish Otce sub-county in Moyo district have raised concerns over poor health services in the area .This issue came on 18th March 2025, during a community dialogue organized by RadioPacis.

Mazapwe Gloria a VHT member in Ayaa central, expressed how difficult it is to deal with a tricycle as means of transport at the facility and the community.

“The ambulance we have is a tricycle.  It helps us to move at the health center sometimes to the main hospital but the challenge we have is when it comes to the rain season and when there is a heavy wind it really affects us so much because it is only covered with a carpet which is not heavy.  We contribute 4000 shs per house hold to fuel the tricycle and whoever does not have money really suffers the cost and besides that, a tricycle is not comfortable for pregnant mothers, the speed is too low and due to the bad roads we at times because more harm to them in terms of accidents “Mazapwe Expressed.

Whereas Ozzi Tobias a pastor at Ayaa Baptist church said that besides missing an ambulance, the facility lucks medicine.

“Definitely we don’t have an ambulance and for you to access the ambulance, you must pay 40000- 60000 shillings and besides that sometimes there are no drugs at the facility.“

However Dulu Samuel the local council iii chairperson Otce sub-county commented that, “Currently we are using a tricycle as means to improve health service delivery more especially for far women who normally come for delivery and any other emergency. So this has been improvised to help the local community in the far places more especially at a time when the ambulance is not available, so this tricycle facilitates the movements of the mothers within this locality to access health services,“ explained Dulu.