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According to the UBH chief executive officer Mrs Nonhlanhla Ndlovu and Mpilo Central Hospital CEO Dr Lawrence Mantiziba, there is urgent need for Government and other stakeholders to address the many challenges the two hospitals are facing if they are to continue providing the required health services. Mrs Ndlovu said the many operational challenges that her hospital was facing were adversely affecting the health service delivery. She said buildings were falling apart, most of the equipment was now too old, lifts were constantly breaking down and the hospital was operating with very limited funds.
She said the situation was affecting the morale of workers who could not even put to use the skills they were learning at workshops because of lack of modern equipment.Dr Mantiziba said there was need to renovate infrastructure at his hospital. He said some of the equipment was now obsolete and needed to be replaced. Dr Mantiziba also said the hospital was operating with limited funds as the money being provided by Government was inadequate.
The situation at the two hospitals cannot be allowed to deteriorate further. There is need for Government to urgently provide funding especially to replace obsolete equipment as well as give a facelift to the buildings.The Government has since independence made great strides in ensuring that people have access to health services as evidenced by the many hospitals and clinics that have been built throughout the country. Most districts now have district hospitals and each province has a provincial referral hospital. This achievement will come to naught if these institutions fail to provide health services because of shortage of equipment and other resources.
We want at this juncture to implore Government to prioritise the allocation of resources to health institutions. Zimbabwe as a nation cannot afford to gamble with issues to do with the people’s health. We understand and appreciate that Government has many competing priorities against limited resources but the issue of people’s health should always come first. The donor community and the private sector should complement Government efforts to provide health services. It is companies that benefit directly from a healthy workforce and as such they should contribute to the provision of health services.
Companies could for example adopt hospital wards or provide materials and equipment to health institutions in their areas. The donor community is already complementing Government efforts in providing health services by providing essentials such as drugs and equipment but we believe they could do more. We want institutions such as Mpilo Central Hospital and UBH to be health institutions of first choice because of their excellent services as was the case in the past.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter