Patrick Chitumba [email protected]
COMMUNITIES in Mberengwa are set to benefit from improved access to quality healthcare following the refurbishment and modernisation of Mberengwa District Hospital through a US$4 million investment by Mimosa Mining Company.
The upgraded facility, equipped with modern medical equipment and specialised infrastructure, is expected to strengthen maternal and child healthcare, improve emergency management and bring essential medical services closer to more than 50 000 people.
The development is also expected to reduce the need for patients to travel to Zvishavane and Gweru to access diagnostic and other specialised medical services.
The investment, which includes a modern outpatient department, maternity wing, operating theatre and male and female wards, highlights the role of private sector partnerships in supporting Government efforts to bridge healthcare delivery gaps between rural and urban communities.
Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube commended Mimosa for supporting the development of health infrastructure in previously underserved communities, saying the investment aligned with the Second Republic’s drive to improve service delivery under President Mnangagwa’s leadership.
Speaking after a recent tour of the upgraded hospital, Minister Ncube said the investment demonstrated how partnerships between Government and the private sector could accelerate development and improve the lives of ordinary people.
He applauded Mimosa for investing beyond its mining operations through its corporate social investment programme, describing the upgraded facility as a significant contribution to the province’s healthcare delivery system.
The project includes a district hospital-standard outpatient department with six consultation rooms, a 26-bed maternity wing, a kitchen, laundry, operating theatre, guardroom and administration block with a boardroom.
The male and female wards each have a capacity of 26 beds, while medical equipment has been procured and installed for the operating theatre, maternity wing, outpatient department, children’s ward, male and female wards, mortuary, laundry and kitchen.
The works also include perimeter palisade fencing, 40 000-litre water storage tanks, landscaping and a 1,2-kilometre tarred access road, together with furniture and other essential support equipment.
Minister Ncube said the investment dovetailed with the Government’s development priorities under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and the Call to Action: No Compromise to Service Delivery blueprint, which seeks to ensure that communities have access to quality and affordable services regardless of their geographical location.
He said the project was also consistent with the devolution and decentralisation agenda, which seeks to empower communities and promote balanced development across the country.
“On behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe and the people of Midlands Province, I thank Mimosa Mining Company for demonstrating that it is not just mining in this province, but also setting a standard for corporate citizenship in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Minister Ncube called on other companies to emulate Mimosa by supporting the rehabilitation and modernisation of public health facilities through corporate social investment programmes.
He cited other private sector interventions in the province, including the upgrading of Shurugwi Hospital and its mortuary by Cheng Xi Investments, as well as the rehabilitation of the High Dependency Unit at Gweru Provincial Hospital by Unki Mine.
However, he challenged the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure that the improved infrastructure was matched with adequate human resources, medicines, technical support and ambulances to enable the facility to operate effectively as a fully functional district hospital around the clock.
The development supports the Government’s commitment to universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goal 3, which promotes good health and well-being for all.
For Mberengwa residents, the upgraded hospital represents relief from the financial and logistical burden of travelling long distances to access diagnostic services and other specialised medical care.
Mr Anord Moyo said the development marked a significant improvement in healthcare provision in the area.
“Since the coming in of the Second Republic, there are significant changes here in our area. We now have a complete healthcare facility that will help us in thwarting diseases. Before this development, we used to travel to Zvishavane or Gweru for X-rays,” he said.
Another resident, Cde Mathew Ndlovu, thanked the Government and its development partners for addressing longstanding challenges in the area’s healthcare system.
“I want to thank our Government and its development partners for this hospital because we were faced with a lot of challenges, especially when it comes to health facilities. This is commendable, and we wish to see other big companies following in the same steps,” he said.
Mberengwa Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Thompson Maeresa said the investment reinforced the importance of public-private partnerships in strengthening healthcare infrastructure, improving access to essential services and advancing the Second Republic’s Vision 2030 goal of building an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income society, leaving no one and no place behind.
