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Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Health Reporter
The Health Services Board is embroiled in a fuel and car hire scandal that has seen it parting with $14 000 per month in fuel allowances for its top executives, while it has accumulated a debt of $200 000 in car rentals for the officials.

Investigations by The Herald revealed that the board’s top echelon was getting an average of 800 litres a month each, four times higher than what Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa was allocated for the same period.

The board reports to Dr Parirenyatwa.

Sources close to the dealings claimed that the HSB executives demand further allocations of fuel under the guise of operations.

Further investigations have also revealed that about seven of the executives and board members were using hired cars from CMED (Pvt) Ltd at a cost of at least $3 000 each monthly.

This has seen the Board accruing a debt of about $200 000 with CMED in unpaid car hire bills since 2012.

The Herald confirmed with CMED that the hire charge includes servicing fees, but investigations established that the executives were opting for private companies to service the hired vehicles and relay the bills to HSB.

According to the Auditor General Mrs Mildred Chiri’s report on state enterprises and parastatals for 2014, HSB gobbled $450 000 on car hiring and maintenance last year alone.

Sources said that most HSB officials bought their official cars following Government’s circular 1 of 2012 on personal issue vehicles. The circular allows directors to purchase their company vehicles after five years at book value, but on condition that there is a replacement at that given time.

It is alleged that the officials bought their cars based on the circular, yet there was no replacement, resulting in HSB being forced to hire vehicles for their use from CMED.

As a result of the mismanagement of funds, sources said, the HSB was now failing to finance other key projects in the health sector.

“There are vehicles lying idle at Parirenyatwa Hospital which the board is failing to service, claiming that there is no money,” said one of the sources.

“There are several other activities in line with the board’s mandate that are not being done because there is no money, yet senior officials spend hefty amounts on fuel allocations and hiring cars.

This is a typical example of mismanagement of funds by the board.”

The vehicles at Parirenyatwa Hospital premises were given to Government by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and were supposed to be allocated to various health institutions to boost service delivery.

Some of the vehicles have since been re-distributed and about seven of them are still lying idle as they require servicing, which the board is failing to do.

Contacted for comment, HSB chief executive Ms Ruth Kaseke said they were hiring vehicles from CMED to fulfil part of the conditions of service for executives and board members.

She said the board will continue to engage with Government for a final solution to the astronomical hiring costs.

“The board has always considered value for money in purchase versus car hiring and to this effect various correspondence and representations continue to be made to Government,” said Ms Kaseke.

“We are recommending that the final solution would be to purchase personal issue vehicles for the affected members and thereby reducing the CMED hire cost.”

In reference to the vehicles lying idle at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Ms Kaseke said the Ministry of Health and Child Care was making arrangements with the concurrence of Treasury to dispose of them.

Most State enterprises and parastatals are facing collapse as a result of gross mismanagement and abuse of funds.

Ms Chiri’s audit reports have been exposing some of the gross mismanagement and potential corruption that has resulted in a number of boards being dissolved in recent months.