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BOOTED OUT . . . Vivek Solanki

Herald Reporter
African Medical Investments owners have appealed for patience among Zimbabweans as they work towards reopening the hospital that had been renamed Trauma Centre and Hospital Harare by Dr Vivek Solanki, who recently lost his bid in the courts to take control of the institution.

Dr Solanki was evicted from the hospital early this month after the Supreme Court confirmed that AMI were the sole owners of the medical facility.

AMI Zimbabwe head Mr Peter Annesley said in an interview this week that there were a number of reasons that led to the temporary closure of the hospital.

“We have discovered that vital core equipment such as savers have been removed,” he said. “Some of the equipment taken away has a significant impact on the operations of the hospital.

“We are in the process of doing a thorough audit of the equipment left and looking at the state of the equipment to see if it is still working.

We are also liaising with licence regulatory authorities because we need to re-apply for some of the licences,” said Mr Annesley.

“Following the above-mentioned audit exercises and re-licensing of the hospital, the group expects AMI Hospital Harare to commence trading in the shortest possible and feasible period.”

Mr Annesley said they would embark on additional construction of the hospital to increase its bed capacity from 14 to around 40.

The hospital will next year have a double storey that will accommodate more patients, as engagements with architects are already taking place.

“In between dealing with equipment audits and licensing, we will also ensure that we engage local parties who can bring value in funding capacity as well as professionals in the industry,” said Mr Annesley.

“We will try to keep some of the hospital departments open while we carry out renovations.”

Mr Annesley said they were in discussions with a consortium of local investors to become the group’s local partners in compliance with relevant laws.

He said AMI had put in more than US$10 million as foreign direct investment in the hospital in a four-year period between 2009 and 2012.

“We trust that all stakeholders will understand the current position and have patience while we re-assess our operating position to ensure that the historic problems that have bedevilled our facility do not further impede our ability to provide quality health services to the Zimbabwean public,” said Mr Annesley.

In the ruling which removed Dr Solanki from the hospital, Justice Anne Gowora also set aside an earlier implemented, but defective eviction order granted to Dr Solanki’s Autoband Investments (owners of Trauma Centre) against the appellant, AMI’s Streamsleigh Investments.

The dispute brought before the Supreme Court centred on which of the two companies, Autoband and Streamsleigh was entitled to the physical occupation and possession of Trauma Centre.

In her ruling, Justice Gowora said Dr Solanki had no right to claim ownership of Trauma Centre.