Mutare gets $12m for ICU rehab

Rumbidzayi zinyuke Manicaland Bureau

Treasury has released an additional $12 million to Mutare City Council to complete the rehabilitation of the isolation centre at Mutare Infectious Diseases Hospital as well as fund other Covid-19 response activities.

The funds come at a time the province is lagging behind in terms of isolation centres with provincial units still undergoing rehabilitation.

The rehabilitation of the isolation centre at MIDH has been ongoing with funding from the local business community, council and Government.

Government recently released $1,4 million to equip the ICU while council injected $1, 5 million to complement the $1, 6 million raised by the Mutare business community.

Mutare City public relations manager Mr Spren Mutiwi said the funds from Treasury would go a long way in fast tracking work at the centre.

“We want to appreciate Government’s intervention, which will go a long way in expediting the construction work considering that funding has been a major challenge. Renovations are progressing well after we adopted a multi-sectoral approach in the construction process to speed up the outstanding works,” he said.

He said part of the $12 million would be expended in different thematic areas like coordination, planning, operational support and logistics, risk communication and community engagement, surveillance, laboratory, infection prevention and control, case management and security.

“The procuring process of the items is already in full swing to ensure that we derive value in this hyperinflationary environment. Council is also conducting awareness campaigns and surveillance of travellers is still work in progress. However, we are desperately in need of a fully equipped ambulance and these are some of the outstanding key items, which could not be accommodated under the $12 million facility,” said Mr Mutiwi.

He said the resources still fell short in terms of equipping the isolation centre and transforming the Mutare Infectious Diseases Hospital to meet the standards of an isolation centre. The total transformation of the hospital requires US$1, 4 million.

Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries Manicaland president Mrs Victoria Jakazi said the business community would continue working with authorities to raise more funds for outstanding requirements.

“Companies under CZI and some that are not affiliated to us have really come on board and played an instrumental role in the renovations for the ICU, which are almost complete. We are still on a drive to mobilise more resources for equipment and consumables for the wing. So far we have received pledges from various companies. They have promised to provide sanitisers, liquid soap and disinfectants. One company has also pledged to procure two ventilators for the unit. We expect to receive the ventilators in the next two weeks,” she said.