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Michael Tome
The Government has called for private sector investment into infrastructure provision with particular focus on accommodation in the healthacare sector. In a statement on Sunday, the Government invited interested private sector investors and other technical institutions for public private partnerships for the construction of healthcare infrastructure.

“Government has instructed the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) to crowd in private sector investment into health infrastructure provision with particular focus on accommodation for staff, both technical and administrative, in the healthcare sector,” reads the statement.

The programme will have two phases that entail the construction of central hospitals, provincial hospitals, district hospitals, health care centres, mission hospitals, staff accommodation and housing facilities across the country.

“This programme will be implemented in two phases and shall apply to facilities requirement for the country’s six central hospitals (located in Harare and Bulawayo), eight provincial hospitals within provinces, sixty three district hospitals spread across the country, forty three mission hospitals and 1 200 health care centres countrywide.

“Phase 1 which begins in 2018, will cater for central hospitals, provincial hospitals and district hospitals in terms of their staff accommodation and housing facilities needs whilst Phase 2 will address the remaining requirements for mission hospitals and health centres countrywide and preparatory work for Phase 1 will start immediately,” reads part of the statement.

Investment packages will not be limited to joint ventures alone but will also include built operate and transfer and design build finance operate and maintain amongst other investment categories.

“Investment models for these sector needs will include, but not limited to, joint ventures, build — operate transfer (BOT), Built-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT), Design Build Finance Operate and Maintain (DBFOM) and Rehabilitate — Operate-Transfer as may be preferred by would — be investors in this programme.

This comes at a time when worldwide health sectors are having a major transformation, buttressed by a shift in trends from Government investment to increased participation of the private sector, especially in the provision of accommodation infrastructure and other ancillary facilities.