Chronicle Editor
Wilbrought Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
THE United Bulawayo Hospital and Mpilo Central Hospital on Friday conducted a combined nurses graduation for 2023 at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre, which saw a total of 448 graduates from both institutions graduating with Diplomas after completing their three-year course.
UBH produced 135 graduates while Mpilo Central Hospital produced 313 graduates from the period of 2019 to 2020. The outstanding students were given awards which saw two students from the different institutes receiving awards for being the best outstanding students.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Aspect Maunganidze, who was the guest of honour, advised the newly minted nurses that theirs was a unique profession which understands the value of life.
“As the ceremony’s theme is ‘our nurses our future’, I urge you to go help save the lives of the people. Some of the graduates will be receiving prizes for their outstanding performance.
“Overall the pass rate of both the institutes are impressive as they are between 98 percent to 100 percent, which is something to applaud and celebrate. The institutes have worked hard and they continue to expand and propose open post basic programmes.
“The future is always on the students. I urge you to work hard and have a positive impact to our patients. Zimbabwe nurses are on the demand of the international markets which means Zimbabwe produces best qualified nurses. Continue to learn more and the training you have received will drive you to do more to be the next leader. I would like to appreciate the Zimbabwe nurses that have managed to stay even though the nurses are on demand international but they managed to hold within our hospitals and continues to save the lives of people,” he said.
United Bulawayo Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr William Busumani congratulated the nurses for making it until graduation and not giving up. He applauded the graduates and encouraged them not to stop there, but continue developing themselves academically. He revealed that as a hospital they continued to reach a number of milestones, noting that in the past 66 days they had recorded no maternal death.
“We have marked day 66 and we have not recorded any maternal death and this is one of the greatest achievements at UBH. We have had 1 679 deliveries (vaginal 770 and C/Section 909) for the past 66 days and no maternal death has been recorded. I would like to thank my team, the doctors, nurses, general hand and security personnel, working at UBH, this is a team effort. Another achievement is the new laboratory which is now completed and waiting for security biometric door so we can start using it. The total cost of construction and equipping was US$2,5 million. All of it was wholly funded by the Government of Zimbabwe. In Family Health care maternity there are two theatres with the total cost of US$300 000, with US$200 000 and US$150 000 from United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA),” he said.
Mpilo Central Hospital Chief Medical officer Dr Narcisius Dzvanga in congratulating the graduates said that for one to achieve goals in life, one needs to be disciplined and respected.
“The education you have been given at these institutions should enable you to change the health care system in Zimbabwe. While I do acknowledge that your training had a lot of challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic let me hasten to say you held on and did not give up. You yielded good results. A number of events took place during this period, all aimed at improving the quality of care offered to our clients and trainees. These include: renovations to nurses home, staff quarters and ward B8 Mpilo. Creation of a Covid Isolation Unit Mpilo, New MRI Machine Mpilo. Family Health Centre at United Bulawayo Hospital and reopening Paeds Unit,” said Dr Dzvanga.
During the ceremony, Miss Lindokuhle Maphosa from Mpilo Hospital got the award of being the best graduating nurse with Miss Gugulethu Ndlovu from UBH obtaining the award of being the best student on national examinations.
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