adminNqobile Tshili Chronicle Reporter
HOSPITALS in Bulawayo are facing viability challenges amid revelations the money allocated to them in the 2014 national budget falls far too short of their operating expenses. Hospital officials in the city told Health and Childcare Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa and his deputy Dr Paul Chimedza during a tour of Ingutsheni Central and United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) on Friday that they needed more funding to improve service delivery.
They said their institutions were now failing to service debts to different service providers, making it difficult for them to access drugs and other hospital essentials from their suppliers.
Nonhlanhla Ndlovu, UBH’s chief executive officer, said the money allocated to them from Treasury was not enough.
“We owe $2,6 million to our creditors and in the budget we were allocated $1,5 million leaving us with a $1,1 million deficit, making it difficult for us to run the hospital. We need $4,2 million to efficiently run the institution,” she said.
Ndlovu said more than $11,000 was needed to run the hospital per day.
She also said National Blood Services Zimbabwe (NBSZ) suspended blood supplies because of debts.
Ndlovu said the hospital was now too old and some of its equipment had become obsolete and needed constant repairs.
Her Ingutsheni counterpart, Leonard Mabandi, concurred saying his institution was worse off as its patients were not making any payments to the hospital.
Ingutsheni head of finance Loveness Mujuru said the hospital was broke.
“We were allocated $1,2 million and the hospital owes suppliers $1,1 million. We are struggling to get drugs from our suppliers and the director has developed a way to arm-twist some of the suppliers to provide us with what we need,” she said.
Dr Parirenyatwa acknowledged the challenges in the health sector attributing them to a constrained national budget.
“We were allocated $337 million from the national fiscus. Last year we only received 70 percent of what was allocated to us,” he said.
Dr Parirenyatwa said the tour was insightful for his ministry but noted that not all was gloomy as there was a lot of enthusiasm from the hospital staff.
He said attention should be given to Ingutsheni, a hospital which he said was being neglected.
“A lot needs to be done for the mental hospitals. Ingutsheni is a unique institution; we often neglect it. We need to invest more in mental hospitals,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
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