Chronic heart patient gets air tickets to India
A Masvingo man left for India yesterday for life-saving heart surgery after he received two air tickets from the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Housing Association director-general Killer Zivhu yesterday.
Mr Charles Munodzana (47) will be accompanied to India by his wife, Vairet, who will be the care-giver for the duration of their stay.
Mr Munodzana said he was on the brink of death after his medical aid society, the Premier Service Medical Aid Society, availed to him US$8 511 for the heart surgery, but he was failing to raise money for air tickets.
Speaking at the handover of the air tickets yesterday, Mr Munodzana said he needed US$1 000 more to cover for the shortfall from the money he received from PSMAS.
“I cannot believe it that I am leaving for India,” he said. “This is my lifeline that has been provided by Clr Zivhu and if it was not for him I could have died from lack of hope.
“He gave me hope and strength to pull through to where I am today, that hope that finally I will undergo surgery helped prolong my life as I felt that I had another opportunity to live.”
Mr Munodzana said he was literally not sleeping because of the pain.
“I last slept in May and when I say I am not sleeping it may surprise you, but that is the truth, I am not sleeping at all because once I try to sleep I get choked and wake up,” he said.
Mr Munodzana said his condition was diagnosed in March this year and within a few months he left his job as a driver with the Zimbabwe United Bus Passenger Company (ZUPCO) due to ill-health.
In a speech read on his behalf, Clr Zivhu, who is the Chivi Rural District Council chairperson, said he hoped Mr Munodzana’s surgery would be a success.
“Today we are giving two air tickets to Mr Munodzana who will be going for heart surgery in the company of a care-giver,” he said.
“I want to point out that this is our own way of implementing our social corporate responsibility programme and also as an organisation we have a programme for building charity homes for the less privileged.”
Zaha will also avail three tickets to kidney patient Mollen Makoni this week to enable her to travel for a transplant in India accompanied by her mother Locardia and sister Tendai who will donate the kidney.
Zaha held a fund-raising gala for Mollen in Masvingo recently to help realise the US$25 000 needed for the kidney transplant, but the money is still short by US$9 000.
“We remain hopeful that come the time for her to go, the money will be enough so that she goes for surgery,” said Clr Zivhu.
Clr Zivhu is also carrying out other social responsibility programmes like availing heifers to chiefs in Chivi to help communities with draught power in line with Zim-Asset’s food security goals.
