adminMarvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
GWANDA Provincial Hospital has partnered with Nyaradzo Life Assurance Company in the rehabilitation of the hospital’s mortuary, an official has said. The hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Pugie Chimberengwa, said the partnership with the funeral services company was approved last week. “The Ministry of Health and Child Care last week approved the partnership and what is left are the logistics,” he said.
“Nyaradzo are new in the town but they said they can also come in to assist us. They will come in and spruce up our mortuary because our fridges, where we keep our bodies, are too old.
“They will spruce up the fridges to the standards of a private mortuary where Nyaradzo can then subscribe to.
“The hospital mortuary has over the past years been facing operational challenges such as breakdowns resulting in bodies decomposing.
The problem has been compounded by power cuts.
“They will also run a generator, which would be on stand-by for 24 hours,” said Dr Chimberengwa adding that the contract would last for five years.
Nyaradzo Life Assurance opened its Gwanda branch recently and its initiative is meant to partner the hospital towards enhancing improved mortuary services.
Dr Chimberengwa said Nyaradzo had expressed willingness to train the mortuary attendants to become morticians and in turn the institution would provide services to the community at a minimal fee.
Morticians are people trained to do dressing and washing of bodies.
Dr Chimberengwa said the hospital mortuary had the capacity to hold 18 bodies.
“If this phase one is implemented successfully, we will also court them (Nyaradzo) for a possible expansion project.
“It is my wish to expand it to a 30-body mortuary,” he said.
An official from Nyaradzo Gwanda branch confirmed the partnership but could not give further details.
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Bongani Ndlovu