Hospital in bid to ease accommodation woes

Herald Reporter
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals is building a block of flats in Harare to ease accommodation shortages at the hospital.
In an interview last Friday, Parirenyatwa chief executive officer Mr Thomas Zigora said the block is part of a three-year plan to provide accommodation to staff.
“Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and radiologists alike will occupy the premises. We are aware that as young nurses, pharmacists and doctors leave colleges they face accommodation challenges and this programme is meant to alleviate this problem,” he said.
Mr Zigora said 31 of the flats are bed-sitters and the other 10 are one bedroomed.
He said the ground floor was complete and builders were working on the first floor.
“We are progressing well. The ground floor is complete and we are certain that by August the block will be complete,” he said.
The hospital has been facing staff accommodation shortages and this has been cited as a contributory factor in several strikes and departure of personnel to private practice and even outside the country.
The situation was worsened by a fire that gutted a hostel housing at least 120 student nurses in 2007. Property worth millions of dollars was destroyed in the fire.