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Herald Reporter
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals says it is owed over US$40 million by cash-paying patients, medical aid societies and the department of social welfare and is struggling to offer service despite being heavily equipped with state-of-the-art machinery. Hospital chief executive officer, Mr Thomas Zigora, said they owed their suppliers more than US$2,5 million and most of them were now refusing to give them services because of the ballooning debt.
Mr Zigora said this while giving a briefing to members of the parliamentary portfolio committee on Health and Childcare who conducted a familiarisation tour at the hospital yesterday.
“You can now make up your mind how it affects us at the end of the day.
“The supplier with the tender is refusing to supply because we have not paid,” Mr Zigora said.
He said cash-paying patients owed US$27 million, medical aid societies owed them more than US$2 million while the department of social welfare owed them more than US$3 million.
The hospital, he said, had engaged three debt collectors and a law firm who have launched a blitz to follow up those who owed the hospital money.
The committee, chaired by Dr Ruth Labode (MDC-T), expressed concern at reports that patients were being detained for non-payment.
They said there were some patients who would have come from most remote parts of the country who would be unable to pay. Mr Zigora denied that they were detaining patients but said they would ensure those that were capable were made to pay.
“If you come to Parirenyatwa, we will ensure that you pay, but if you cannot you will get the service. At the end of the day even without paying you can still leave because we can’t afford to keep you a night longer,” he said.
He said they had made efforts to ensure that a patient or relatives gives the hospital a payment plan or make a deposit. “We have to take these desperate measures because at the end of the day someone has to pay for that service,” he said.
Mr Zigora said the institution is one of the most equipped hospitals with state-of-the-art machines on cancer treatment, theatres, intensive care unit and haemodialysis.
“We have 10 functional theatres, we have an ICU that accommodates 10 adults and 10 children, a haemodialysis with 100 patients on its books and one of the best resuscitation centres.
“From an equipment point of view we are reasonably equipped, although the press is fond of saying dilapidated equipment,” he said.
On cancer patients, Mr Zigora said they had since commissioned the state-of-the-art equipment for cancer treatment and very soon would use another one for prostate cancer patients once their health workers have undergone training to use it.
He bemoaned lack of adequate funding, saying they have been receiving US$100 000 monthly against a requirement of about US$2,5 million.
Mr Zigora also said there was a need to lift the health recruitment freeze to enable them to employ more health workers to cope with the workload.
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