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Patrick Chitumba Senior Reporter
REPORTS of corruption and poor health care at Bulawayo’s Mpilo Central Hospital have been blamed on the unavailability of an executive board to run the affairs of the institution, civic society groups, politicians and residents have said. While sister institutions like the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) and Ingutsheni Central Hospital are run relatively well with executive boards in place, the same cannot be said of Mpilo, which has been running without a board for almost a year.
Given lack of equipment and drugs and the resultant preventable deaths of infants and women giving birth at Mpilo, there have been calls for the Ministry of Health and Child Care to expedite announcement of a new board for the ailing institution.
Bulawayo Central MP, Dorcas Sibanda said it was sad that a big institution like Mpilo was allowed to operate without a board.
“Mpilo in our local language means life and people in this region deserved relief and expect quality health care when taken to Mpilo,” she said.
“Unfortunately, patients are afraid that they might die because of the bad state of affairs at the health institution.”
Sibanda said a board would work to the benefit of the institution and the patients.
“We hear of the hospital running out of drugs and patients being sent home to look for drugs. We hear of cases of corruption and it is our general feeling that there is no oversight on the running of the institution and that’s why we’ve all these shortfalls at the institution,” she said.
Bulawayo United Residents Association chairperson Winos Dube said it was shocking that Mpilo had no board to run its affairs.
“We call upon Dr David Parirenyatwa to announce a new board as soon as possible,” he said.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents’ Association (BPRA) chairperson, Rodrick Fayayo said the unavailability of a board at the institution had resulted in lack of accountability and transparency at the institution.
“There are no checks and balances because there is no one to provide that oversight role and we are very worried about this situation,” said Fayayo.
“The prevailing situation provides a fertile ground for corruption and we urge the relevant minister to take action now and not later.”
Fayayo said the unavailability of the board creates a good environment for looting of resources.
“I don’t know if this could be a deliberate ploy to allow room for more corruption. It could also be that some people don’t care about the institution because of its location,” he said.
A surgeon at Mpilo, Dr Nichodimus Kadumbo recently told a visiting Parliamentary Committee on Health and Child Care that some people at the institution were corruptly inflating tender prices thereby ripping off the institution.
Last week Dr Parirenyatwa announced that new boards for Mpilo, UBH and Ingutsheni will be announced soon.
“Mpilo Hospital will have a new board soon, the same for the other two institutions in Bulawayo,” he said.
derick.khumalo