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Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
TOWN houses built by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) have been lying idle for more than five years following the failure to open Ekusileni hospital.
The 22 townhouses located along Old Esigodini Road in Woodlands suburb, were built by NSSA to accommodate the hospital’s senior employees.
NSSA handed over the hospital and the townhouses to Government last year.
The hospital has never been operational since its inception 14 years ago, with Government searching for an investor to run it as a specialist hospital.
Previous tenants who were occupying the townhouses were ordered to leave in 2011 to pave way for hospital officials, but efforts to open the institution were not successful.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa toured the hospital and townhouses last Friday and expressed concern over the seeming inactivity at the premises.
He urged a committee chaired by Matabeleland North provincial medical director Dr Nyasha Masuka to identify an investor to expedite the process so that the townhouses are brought into use.
“These buildings have been idle for too long and it’s expensive to maintain empty buildings. We need to work with speed and make sure they’re brought into use.
“When the hospital starts operating at least we’ll be assured that 22 of our senior officials have accommodation,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
NSSA’s Matabeleland regional manager Mr Wellington Chinembiri declined to comment on the issue and referred questions to the NSSA head office and efforts to get a comment there were futile.
@pamelashumba1
Online Reporter