STORY: Chinese acupuncture works wonders for Zimbabweans
SHOOTING TIME: June 6, 2024
DATELINE: June 9, 2024
LENGTH: 0:03:40
LOCATION: Harare
CATEGORY: HEALTH

SHOTLIST:
1. various of acupuncture
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CHARITY KAREKWAIVANANE, Patient
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): RICHARD MUTINGWENDE, Acupuncturist
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): RICHARD MUTINGWENDE, Acupuncturist
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): RICHARD MUTINGWENDE, Acupuncturist
6. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): VIMBAINASHE SIZIBA, Patient

STORYLINE:

At an acupuncture clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, Charity Karekwaivanane remained calm as acupuncture needles pierced her body.

The 69-year-old grandmother had suffered from back pain for more than a decade.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CHARITY KAREKWAIVANANE, Patient
"It's a mystery that I got healed by those needles. I did not know what they would do to my body. I don't have any pain anymore. I am okay."

The acupuncturist, Richard Mutingwende, a Zimbabwean licensed acupuncturist, opened the clinic after witnessing first-hand the wonders of ancient Chinese medical treatment.
   
With acupuncture, Mutingwende has a tool to fulfill his passion for relieving others from pain.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): RICHARD MUTINGWENDE, Acupuncturist
"Chinese treatment works wonders, it's like magic. It gives instant results, especially to conditions that don't have solutions when it comes to other systems of medicines. So you find many people come here as a last resort after trying quite a number of medical systems."

Mutingwende is among a group of 10 medical professionals who graduated from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture personnel training course by Chinese doctors in Zimbabwe in 2022.

The training program, the first of its kind in Zimbabwe, was held at the Zimbabwe-China TCM and Acupuncture Center at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH) in Harare. It comprised theory and practice and included components of TCM such as acupuncture and moxibustion as well as diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

In November 2023, Mutingwende started his private practice to provide alternative medication at a lower cost.

Word of mouth has spread fast about the wonders of acupuncture, and he now treats about 20 patients each day at the clinic located in the Harare south suburb of Stoneridge. He hopes to increase the number to 50.
   
Mutingwende said people with conditions such as arthritis, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and even infertility and digestive disorders have received treatment. 
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): RICHARD MUTINGWENDE, Acupuncturist
"I started this center so that many people get healed at a very low cost considering the high cost of drugs."

Acupuncture is a component of TCM, a medical system with a history of over thousands of years that has been used to diagnose, treat, and prevent illnesses.
   
TCM also employs techniques such as moxibustion, and cupping, and uses herbal products and mind-body practices.
   
SOUNDBITE 4 (English): RICHARD MUTINGWENDE, Acupuncturist
"The most advantage of acupuncture is that it makes the body heal itself, so it means there are no side effects as compared to other systems of medicines because it's just a matter of stimulating the natural healing process in the body, then the body will heal itself."

For many patients, such as 32-year-old Vimbainashe Siziba, who was diagnosed with arthritis, acupuncture is proving to be the last resort.

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): VIMBAINASHE SIZIBA, Patient
"Before receiving the acupuncture for arthritis treatment, I was struggling to walk and even wearing some of my shoes. But now I can walk nicely. I can wear different types of shoes, even heels. So I can confidently say that acupuncture has helped me to treat arthritis."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Harare.
(XHTV)