adminPamela Shumba Senior Reporter
THE government will soon come up with a programme of action to commission Ekusileni Medical Centre in Bulawayo, a Cabinet Minister said yesterday.
The medical centre, situated at the corner of Old Esigodini-Bulawayo Road and Cecil Avenue in Hillside suburb, is a specialist institution which is the brainchild of the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo.
Speaking after touring the hospital, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Cde Nicholas Goche, said he was discussing with the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and other stakeholders to see when the hospital could be opened to the public. “We are in the process of discussing and coming up with a solution and a programme of action leading to the commissioning of Ekusileni Medical Centre. This is my first time to visit the institution but it has been discussed in Cabinet,” said Cde Goche.
“I have therefore come to see the hospital and discuss with NSSA and other stakeholders so that we finalise the process of operationalising this institution.”
Cde Goche said it was a pity that the hospital was yet to be commissioned after a lot of money was spent on constructing it. “President Mugabe is compassionate about this hospital. He had recommended that the commissioning of the hospital be done at the same time with the commissioning of the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport, the unveiling of the late nationalist’s statue and renaming of Main Street after his name in December last year.
“This was not possible due to a number of things that had to be done before the hospital could be opened to the public,” said Cde Goche.
The Senior Minister of State in the Office of the President and a trustee of the hospital, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, said the opening of the hospital was in line with the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).
“We are all aware that the new government is a government of action. We are mandated by the President, in line with Zim-Asset, to provide service to the people. Each and every one of us has a major role to play in eradicating poverty through improving the education and health sectors in the country,” said Cde Khaya Moyo.
He commended Cde Goche for taking up the challenge to push for the commissioning of the hospital, saying the country was anxious to see the noble effort of providing service to the people coming to a conclusion.
The 200 bed medical centre project was initiated as a joint venture between the Zimbabwe Health Care Trust (ZHTC) and NETCARE, while NSSA and MIPF became partners in the construction of the institution.
Cde Nkomo, who died in 1999, conceived the idea of the specialist healthcare facility after he was taken to Egypt for treatment as the country was incapable of providing a healthcare facility for his treatment.
It was briefly opened in 2004 but closed after realisation that the equipment acquired by the institution and worth millions of dollars was obsolete despite millions having been invested by NSSA into the hospital.
Last week, Parliament quizzed NSSA general manager James Matiza on NSSA’s investments in the health sector in view of the hospitals still lying idle, years after its construction.
Testifying before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare on the company’s investments, Matiza said repeated efforts by NSSA to ensure that the Zimbabwe Health Care Trust opened the hospital had failed. He said the ZHTC had last year informed NSSA that they had raised $12 million to purchase equipment but needed to borrow an extra $6 million from NSSA for operational costs. This was in addition to other unspecified millions invested into the project by NSSA. Matiza said the trust had promised to have the hospital operational by December last year but now into April, the institution still remains closed.
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