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so as to provide quality health service delivery to patients countrywide, an official has said.
In an interview in Bulawayo on Saturday, the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Henry Madzorera said he had been touring hospitals in Matabeleland to come up with strategies on improving the welfare of patients in hospitals.
Dr Madzorera on Friday toured Siphepha Rural Clinic in Tsholotsho and United Bulawayo Hospitals.
“We want to improve customer care services in our hospitals by making sure that patients are attended to promptly from admission up until they leave the hospital. We want to put in place a standard quality management system in all hospitals countrywide,” he said.
Dr Madzorera said the quality of health services in the country had improved over the years.
“We have managed to refurbish some hospitals in the country and dispatched ambulances to hospitals countrywide,” he said.
Dr Madzorera however said financial constraints hindered quality service in hospitals.
“We have a host of deficiencies in hospitals and the government has no funds to cover them all. For example United Bulawayo Hospitals’ (UBH) elevators are not working yet the hospital is a high rise building making it hard for doctors to ferry patients around the hospital.
“At the moment Siphepha rural clinic only admits maternal patients and cannot accommodate any other patients. It has no kitchen and relatives have to cook food from their own homesteads and bring it to the clinic,” he said.
“We urge communities to participate in rebuilding hospitals so as to improve the quality of health service delivery. The initiative helps the Government to also intervene and make things work for the better of everyone.”
Dr Madzorera bemoaned the fact that supply of the bulk of medicine in the country remained in the hands of donors.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter