dyton mupawaenda
Freeman Razemba–Senior Reporter
CONSTRUCTION of a state-of-the art referral hospital at Manyame Air Base, that will cater for the security services and the public as well as VVIPs that will be attending the 44th SADC Summit to be hosted by Zimbabwe in August, is now at an advanced stage.
On Thursday, Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials toured the Zimbabwe Defence Forces’ Referral Hospital at Manyame Air Base which is now 85 percent complete.
Minister of Defence Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, who led the delegation, said furnishing of the hospital will be done soon.
“On Manyame Hospital, we are still struggling but we are 85 percent on average, in terms of just the infrastructure, the structure itself.
“The furnishing and the equipment for the hospital, we are hoping that once the payment is done we will be ready to furnish it but there are still some sticking areas where we need financing but we are happy that the materials that we require, in terms of cement and others, are locally available,” she said.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said by July 31, everything will be ready and the hospital will be in a position to admit patients.
“It is very important because every country has a military hospital to cater not just for soldiers but also for the general public. You need to understand also that this hospital is going to be a training hospital, this means graduates will be able to have an additional facility to use,” she said.
The Minister said Zimbabwe will no longer be sending people to train out of the country as this would be done at Manyame Air Base where they would also be specialist doctors coming from various countries as trainers.
“This is the first ever military hospital in the country. In terms of researching other new diseases, we will be working with other hospitals, with other universities like the University of Zimbabwe and also our own Zimbabwe National Defence University,” Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said.
She said China was also going to donate high-tech equipment and will attach their doctors to train local staff.
On Thursday, Cabinet ministers and senior Government officials toured infrastructure projects in the capital to assess progress ahead of the 44th SADC Summit.
Key infrastructure such as roads, Information Communication Technology systems and accommodation, is now almost ready.
Online Reporter