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Patrick Chitumba, [email protected]
MBERENGWA East villagers in the Midlands province have hailed the newly completed Mataga Mini Hospital, saying the health facility will go a long way in addressing their challenges in terms of accessing healthcare.
Once operational, the state-of-the-art health facility will come in handy for villagers who are forced to travel to Zvishavane town to access healthcare.
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga yesterday toured the facility before addressing a Zanu-PF rally at Mataga Growth Point in Mberengwa District.
The 20-bed hospital will offer maternity, laboratory, dispensary, counselling, and female and male paediatric services.
The facility, which will be commissioned soon by President Mnangagwa, is the third to be completed under an initiative by the Second Republic to build 30 clinics and five district hospitals across the country.
Construction of the health centres is being done by British-owned NMS Infrastructure Limited and wholly funded by the Government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
A local villager, Mrs Edith Siwela commended Government for bringing health care services to their door steps.
“We want to express gratitude to Government for this mini hospital which has been constructed here. Villagers will no longer be stressing about travelling long distances to access health care,” she said.
Mrs Siwela said villagers were accessing health care in Zvishavane town while others travelled to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo since there was no facility that could offer sound services in their locality.
Ms Sibongile Tshelela from Chamakudo village said: “This is a commendable gesture by our Government. We really needed such a facility in Mberengwa so that we access health services locally. Come August 23, I am going to vote with this beautiful hospital in mind.”
Another villager, Mr Talent Gumbo from Mataga said President Mnangagwa has done his work and now it was up to the electorate to vote for him.
“The Government is doing very well in terms of infrastructure development. The Second Republic is doing wonders, and in terms of agriculture, we are getting support like never before, roads are being attended to, and our kids are getting textbooks in schools,” he said.
VP Chiwenga said Mataga Mini Hospital construction is aimed at bringing quality health services to all the people in line with the Second Republic’s philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind.
He said the new health centre is furnished with state-of-the-art equipment as part of the Government’s efforts to improve access to health.
“As you are aware, our emphasis has been to reach every corner of our country, but more importantly starting with those places which had been neglected for a long time, which did not have medical facilities closer to the people yet those areas are populated,” said VP Chiwenga.
“So, these hospitals which we are putting across the country, are meant to bridge our clinics and health points with our district hospitals.”
Mataga Mini Hospital, VP Chiwenga said, will offer almost every health care service.
“A patient can come and get almost everything they want, yes the specialised treatment will then be referred, but we are saying the person will have already been stabilised. So, I am quite thrilled to see the completion of this hospital,” he said.
VP Chiwenga said the hospital will soon open its doors to patients once medical stocks and equipment have been procured.
NMS Infrastructure Limited director (business development) for Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Alistair Johnston said there are 30 of these hospitals and five 60-bed district hospitals that will be constructed across the country.
“The Government of Zimbabwe is the one that actually started this project, which will be completed in two years’ time. We are now waiting for the two sites where the first two district hospitals in Esigodini and Hwedza would be constructed,” he said.
Mr Johnston said Mataga Mini Hospital is ready to open.
“We are waiting for some equipment to arrive from South Africa. Unfortunately, they have slightly delayed, but within two weeks all the equipment will be here and this hospital will be ready to operate,” he said.
Online Reporter