Online Reporter
Robin Muchetu in NKAYI
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa continues to walk the talk in his drive to modernise public health institutions, with Government distributing 63 AutoQuant laboratory machines to district hospitals across the country to enhance access to healthcare in rural communities.
The initiative is part of the Second Republic’s broader strategy to strengthen healthcare delivery under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and the country’s Vision 2030 agenda.
The machines are set to improve diagnostic efficiency and reduce the turnaround time for laboratory results, particularly in rural areas where patients have to wait longer for results of tests processed at referral hospitals instead of nearby district hospitals.
In June last year, President Mnangagwa made an unannounced visit to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare, where he witnessed first-hand the challenges facing public health facilities, demonstrating his concern for the state of healthcare and the Second Republic’s commitment to improving it.
Aligned with NDS2 and Vision 2030, the Government is making concerted efforts to ensure quality healthcare provision, recognising it as a key pillar in driving economic development.
Efforts led by President Mnangagwa are expected to advance the country’s development agenda by strengthening primary healthcare access for all citizens.
To meet this goal, facilities across the country are being expanded and upgraded, improving the quality of healthcare in line with the President’s vision of matching international best practices as Zimbabwe progresses towards upper-middle-income status.
The Second Republic has intensified reforms in the healthcare sector, re-equipping and modernising hospitals and clinics while constructing new ones.
These interventions are aimed at increasing access to health services for all Zimbabweans, particularly vulnerable and marginalised communities, as part of a drive towards universal health coverage.
Nkayi District Hospital in Matabeleland North is among the institutions that have received the new equipment.
The Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Mr Sleiman Kwidini, yesterday delivered the equipment to Nkayi hospital during his tour of district hospitals in Matabeleland North, where he is assessing the operations of health institutions.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care is closely monitoring operations at district-level facilities across all provinces to ensure patients receive timely hospital treatment and care close to their communities.
“We have already received these machines, 63 of them, for all districts. They were delivered with their reagents. We want to ensure the machines are functional and that they reduce the burden for district hospitals.
“They used to send samples to Bulawayo and it would take time to receive results. This is now a milestone to the community at large so that every diagnosis is made instantly,” Deputy Minister Kwidini said.
He said the ministry aims to maintain the functionality of the machines across all districts to ensure accurate diagnoses.
“The Government is trying to ensure that all hospitals are equipped with modern machines and technology and we want health workers to feel good about their work because they will be treating patients using the right machines and not doing guesswork,” Deputy Minister Kwidini said.
The deployment of the equipment is in line with NDS2 priorities, which include strengthening health service delivery and improving infrastructure.
Nkayi District Hospital laboratory scientist Mr Sonny Dube described the machines as a major advancement in service delivery.
“We are happy to have received the AutoQuant analyser from India. The machine has gone a long way in alleviating patients’ challenges.
“In the past, we used to refer samples to either Mpilo Central Hospital or St Luke’s Hospital and at the end of the day, results were taking too long to come back.
“Right now, we can perform liver function tests, urea and electrolytes tests and give the patients results in a space of less than 30 minutes.”
Mr Dube said the new machine has significantly reduced turnaround times, enabling quicker interventions.
“The hospital is currently servicing at least 10 patients daily with the new machine. The district has 18 clinics, and they are now being encouraged to send samples for HIV patients, mostly, so that they can monitor their performance,” he said.
The AutoQuant analyser is a computerised diagnostic instrument that measures various substances in biological samples, such as blood and urine, with minimal human intervention. It offers high-speed testing, improved accuracy and greater efficiency in clinical diagnostics.
Deputy Minister Kwidini said the ministry has established a support supervision team, led by Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora and himself, to assess operations at district hospitals nationwide.
“We want to ensure that we know, see and hear what is happening there so that whenever we are making decisions, we are well informed by what is on the ground.
“We want to make sure we strategise and give support in the systems that we already have, so that they are strengthened to ensure we have quality service delivery.
“We have moved from National Development Strategy 1 to NDS2, and it is more of action, especially service delivery, which is why we are here to see what is there and what is not,” he said.
Deputy Minister Kwidini added that strengthening district hospitals will reduce the number of patients bypassing primary facilities at clinics and travelling directly to tertiary hospitals unnecessarily.
“If district hospitals are properly equipped, the burden on patients and referral hospitals will be significantly reduced,” he said.
