Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
MATER Dei Hospital in Bulawayo is undergoing an expansion project which will see at least US$2 million being channelled into the construction of a dialysis unit, dental practice, orthopedic fitment and a retail pharmacy, among other departments.
In a statement last week, Mater Dei Hospital Trust said the advent of Covid-19 saw the need to have reliable treatment options locally rather than relying on foreign medical services as the pandemic prohibited movement across borders and cities during its peak period.
“The Covid-19 pandemic taught us that reliance on foreign medical services has been taken for granted with travel out of the country for medical treatment all but impossible of late.
By making expanded medical facilities available locally, such travel may not then be necessary in future.
This is to the advantage of the general Bulawayo public, employers and employees alike, and this is what has motivated the development project at the Hospital,” the Trust said.
Hundreds of locals have over the years resorted to travelling abroad to seek medical help as there has been a shortage of facilities and specialists locally that can render assistance.
This also has seen some of these patients who require treatment struggling to raise required fees to travel abroad to seek these services.
However, the expansion underway at Mater Dei Hospital will see locals seeking treatment nearest to them.
“The development project will involve the construction of a number of buildings to house a retail pharmacy, refreshment facility, a kidney dialysis unit with 18 beds, an integrated hospital health care unit (consisting of rooms for diagnostic endoscopic procedures, dental practice, audiology, visual inspection with acetic acid and camera (VIAC), ophthalmology, general health care, pre- and post-natal clinic, orthopaedic fitment, etc.) and consulting rooms for 16 doctors.
The net result of this development will be to bring patient service provision closer to the hospital, for the benefit of the patient,” the Trust added.
It said that integrated health care was becoming a widely accepted concept, with a move towards preventative screening and catching medical conditions early.
This is generally offered in ‘primary health centres’ where common screening tests are conducted, and the hospital is including such a facility in the development.
According to the Trust, the project is estimated to be completed within 12-18 months of commencement and is expected to cost at least US$2 million.
It is expected that once completed, the project will significantly improve medical facilities that are available to the Bulawayo public and beyond.
Mater Dei Hospital was founded by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM) almost 70 years ago after their arrival in the city on 2 February, 1952 and has grown from a basic hospital facility to the multi-discipline entity it is now, serving the greater Bulawayo and regional population.
From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, the hospital established within three months, a first class Covid-19 isolation unit, which has been ranked as the best in Zimbabwe.
– @NyembeziMu
Online Reporter