Online Reporter
Bulawayo Bureau
GOVERNMENT has increased its focus on the upgrade and modernisation of Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo and other health facilities across provinces in line with President Mnangagwa’s drive to transform the country’s health sector aimed at improving access and quality of service to ordinary Zimbabweans.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said this in Bulawayo on Saturday, while conducting a tour of Mpilo Central Hospital at the instruction of the President to evaluate and address the operational challenges confronting the province’s largest referral medical institution.
This follows the recent tour by President Mnangagwa of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and Sally Mugabe Central Hospitals in Harare, which have been followed by proactive upgrade works to address the gaps, which had compromised the quality of service delivery.
Due to limited fiscal space and crippling impact of sanctions over the years, the decline in service delivery within the sector has been blamed for premature loss of life and the exodus of some of the country’s finest medical personnel seeking better opportunities in the Diaspora.
Just before the tour, Prof Ncube had a briefing with the institution’s authorities, who informed him of the challenges faced in delivering effective service delivery.
Mpilo Central Hospital chief medical officer, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga, outlined key challenges, including the need for close to R1 million to buy a new UPS machine at the hospital to enable cancer patients to receive radiation sessions uninterrupted by power outages.
He said patients undergoing cancer treatment with the radiotherapy machine need a continuous power supply, as the machinery is very sensitive to power fluctuations and any sudden changes or fluctuations in power damage the machine.
Dr Dzvanga said two of the cancer treatment machines at the hospital are down and that the UPS system requires 24 batteries to keep it functional.
Citing quotations from South Africa, Dr Dzvanga said the set of batteries cost just over R1 million.
Almost 50 percent of the cancer patients who visit Mpilo Hospital require radiotherapy, but are not being treated as the machines are not functional, amid revelations that the radiotherapy machines were procured and left in storage for many years.
In his response, Prof Ncube said the improvement of the health sector is at the heart of the Second Republic’s priorities and was being given increased attention.
“As ministers, we must go to the ground to listen to issues, problems and challenges we ought to fix, as well as to assess the progress in the improvements we are making.
“We are here today at Mpilo at the renal unit, which has brand new equipment and this shows the progress we are making in upgrading our health infrastructure,” said Prof Ncube.
“However, there is still a lot of work to do. We have to connect the hospital to the solar system to supply power, we also have to complete work on the TB laboratory, which is almost done and also to hand over the paediatric unit as well.
“We also need to build another mortuary, as well as complete works on the hospital chapel. There is work to do, and we will be doing so to upgrade the hospital,” he added.
Prof Ncube said work on upgrading the country’s medical sector needs serious focus hence Government will be visiting more hospitals to get to the bottom of the matter.
“I will also be touring other institutions such as Ingutsheni Central Hospital. There is a lot that is happening and some of the work cannot be seen because we have to spread it across the country’s institutions,” he said.
“We cannot leave no one or place behind and focus on one place.”
In April, Vice President Kembo Mohadi visited Mpilo where he called on the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion to urgently act on the service gaps at the institution.
In June this year, President Mnangagwa made unannounced visits to two major hospitals in Harare, where he made an urgent call for the restoration of the health sector.
