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Mukudzei Chingwere and Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Health facilities continue to be expanded and upgraded across the country to boost the quality of health care for all in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision of matching best international practices as a pre-requisite for an upper middle income society.
The Second Republic has been working around the clock implementing comprehensive reforms for health delivery, re-equipping and upgrading existing hospitals and clinics and building new ones as it expands and upgrades the essential health infrastructure.
Zimbabwe’s response to Covid-19 saw a rapid acceleration in the work already being done under the Second Republic to ensure that facilities could cope, with intensive care wards and beds added to many, state-of-the-art equipment procured and fitted, and alternative energy and decent water supplies installed at 1 000 health facilities across the country.
President Mnangagwa declared the pandemic a state of disaster from the outset, leading to more Government funding and the private sector joining the largely co-ordinated response and upgrade to complement Government efforts in health care delivery.
To this end, local facilities are beginning to get global acclaim after a local Air Ambulances services company was nominated amongst three finalists by the International Travel and Health Insurance Journal for the Global Air Ambulance Company of the year 2022 award.
Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Constantino Chiwenga said Government was committed to improving the quality of health services.
“Our National Health Strategy puts clearly key strategic outcomes the health sector must achieve by 2025,” said VP Chiwenga.
“Our visualisation is to bring world-class healthcare to all the people, across the length and breadth of this great country. The Second Republic promises to leave no one and no place behind.
“Despite the economic challenges my Ministry has managed to construct and complete several health facilities across the country and fully equip them with modern equipment.
“I recently commissioned the Gweru Provincial Hospital Centre of Excellence and we have broken ground for the Quinary Teaching and Specialist Hospital here in Harare, to name a few of our key projects. Our goal is to put Zimbabwe back on the global map for quality healthcare and innovation.”
The Vice President said on top of the upgrades in the health delivery system, Government is also seized with improving the conditions of service for workers in the sector.
Improvement in the conditions of service include upward salary review, institutional accommodation for health workers with more blocks of flats and houses being built, scholarships funded by Government for those willing to further their education, and a duty-free vehicle scheme for workers, among others.
“My Ministry recognises emergency medical services as an integral component of quality health care service,” said VP Chiwenga.
“Government continues to prioritise the availability of reliable emergency services. To this end, the Ministry has procured 62 ambulances and distributed them to various health facilities.
“I am glad to inform you that 32 of these ambulances are state-of-the-art intensive care units. More ambulances are being procured,” said VP Chiwenga.
While ensuring that the country has a functional emergency medical service as well as a happy workforce, Government is also investing towards improving services at all central, provincial, district hospitals and clinics across the country.
Among other measures, Government has injected an equivalent of US$1,5 million into the medical laboratory under construction at United Bulawayo Hospitals.
This will be one of the largest laboratories in the country and improve the provision of services for people in Bulawayo and the Matabeleland regions.
At Mpilo Central hospital, the Government has also directed funds towards the renovation of three blocks of doctors’ flats severely damaged by fire in 2018, 2019 and 2021. So far two blocks have been completely repaired and renovated with work on the third almost 98 percent complete.
Government is also constructing 30 health centres and five district hospitals across the country through a US$210 million facility under the Ministry of Health and Child Care in collaboration with NMS Infrastructure Limited, a British owned company.
The first phase of the project has seen four 22-bed health centres being lined up, with the first at Stoneridge in Harare South already complete. Cowdray Park health centre in Bulawayo is almost finished and will be complete by the end of this year while work at Mataga health centre in Mberengwa is now underway and will be complete by March next year.
Online Reporter