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Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Reporter
The mayor of Harare, Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni, says Beatrice Road Infectious Disease Hospital is long overdue for a name change and rebranding to reposition the healthcare institution for the future.In an interview last week, the mayor suggested that the hospital be renamed the Timothy Stamps Medical Centre to remove the stigma associated with the current name.
Clr Manyenyeni also proposed that the hospital could alternatively be renamed in honour of the late hero Dr Simon Mazorodze or Dr Tizirai Gwata.
A former Minister of Health, Dr Stamps is now the Health Advisor to the President. The hospital is located in Simon Mazorodze Road, which was named after the nationalist who was buried at the Heroes Acre in 1981.
Dr Gwata was the first black mayor of Harare, having been sworn into office on April 7, 1981. Clr Manyenyeni said: “Beatrice Road Infectious Disease Hospital has negative connotations and tends to stigmatise patients suffering from infectious diseases in contrast to the actual quality of care the institution is providing.
“The word infectious disease must be replaced with an appropriate name that also values the contributions made by Dr Stamps and Dr Mazorodze to match our historical context.
“I will make a recommendation to council to consider any of the aforementioned.”
The 150-bed hospital was established in 1921 to cater for non-whites with infectious conditions. The hospital has dedicated wards for the isolation of TB patients.
Other wards cater for patients with other infectious conditions such as measles, typhoid, cholera, dysentery.
Online Reporter