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Farai Kuvirimirwa Herald Reporter
Mpilo Central Hospital seeks US$16 million to refurbish the institution’s infrastructure, plant and purchase of crucial medical equipment.
Mpilo chief executive officer Dr Lawrence Mantiziba last week confirmed the development, saying the hospital will hold an investor and donor conference on August 21 in Bulawayo, aimed at raising funds to develop the institution.
“We have two elevators which are in good working condition out of the seven and the malfunctioning ones need to be replaced.

“The hospital’s infrastructure was built in 1957 and faces several challenges and we require US$15,7m for all the projects. But we will accept private public partnerships for our theatres, pharmacy, laboratories and radiology department, ” said Dr Mantiziba.

The conference would be held under the theme: ‘Towards being a centre of excellence in health care provision’.
“Resources raised will go towards critical activities in projects at the hospital’s strategic plan whose deadline is 2018. We want to use it as a way of marketing the hospital in terms of its challenges and show people the progress we have done.

The hospital also urgently needs US$200, 000 for the construction of a waiting mothers’ shelter, since mothers with hospitalised children were being forced to sleep in the same wards with patients.

Dr Mantiziba said already some residents through the Bulawayo United Residents Association have started mobilising resources through buying bricks for the hospital’s brick security wall.

The hospital also intends to construct a student nurses’ home, staff residence, new administration block, maternity theatre, new mortuary and chapel. Part of the money will also be used to construct lecture theatres, an adult intensive care unit, main casualty block, the dental unit and an incinerator among critical infrastructure.