Online Reporter
George Maponga-Masvingo Bureau
THE US$40 million upgrade of Masvingo Provincial Hospital into a modern university teaching hospital is progressing on schedule, with the first phase of work slated for completion by the end of next month.
This milestone will allow the first group of 20 medical students from Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) to begin their clinical studies at the facility early next year.
The hospital has been officially renamed the Masvingo Provincial University Teaching Hospital.
Once fully transformed into a 400-bed, state-of-the-art health institution, it is expected to revolutionise healthcare delivery in the province and establish itself as a hub for medical tourism.
This initiative by the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa is a key part of the Vision 2030 goal of creating an upper middle-income society.
The teaching hospital will provide a crucial venue for the inaugural class of medical students from GZU’s Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences to undertake their clinical training.
Professor Jacobo Mufunda, Dean of the Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences, confirmed that preparations are on track to accommodate the first medical students by February next year.
“The necessary refurbishments to enable our students to undertake the first year of their clinical studies are set to be completed by the end of next month,” Professor Mufunda said. “We are quite optimistic that the work will be completed by that time.”
He said the medical degree is a six-year programme.
“The first three years, students will be doing their medical science degree, and then the other three years they will be doing their medical or surgery studies. The infrastructure now in place at the teaching hospital is commensurate for our students to undertake their first year of clinical studies.”
To house the students, 30 rooms have been secured at the hospital’s School of Nurse Training. However, Professor Mufunda noted that the long-term goal is to construct new accommodation, as the university will eventually need about 90 rooms for its medical students.
Looking ahead, Professor Mufunda highlighted the need to attract and incentivize specialist doctors, such as urologists, pulmonologists, and neurologists, to teach at the institution. “This will ensure our patients stop traveling to Harare or Bulawayo for specialist medical care,” he added.
For the teaching hospital to support students beyond their fourth year, further construction is required, including a new lecture theatre, laboratory, computer centre and learning centre. New specialist wings for outpatients, neurosurgery, and urology are also planned.
The initial phase of the upgrade has already seen the administration block, male and female wards, and the outpatients department receive a facelift. A fully equipped high-dependence unit with 15 beds and an intensive care unit with six beds are also nearing completion.
Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa, Permanent Secretary for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, confirmed that the upgrading works are proceeding according to plan.
After touring the facility, he expressed satisfaction with the progress.
“Everything is on course and going according to plan,” Dr. Pazvakavambwa said. “President Mnangagwa will commission the facility once upgrading work has been completed.”
Peter Tanyanyiwa