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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
Government has allocated $1 million to Gweru Provincial Hospital for its upgrade after it was turned into a teaching hospital for the faculty of medicine at Midlands State University (MSU).

Gweru Provincial Hospital superintendent Dr Fabian Mashingaidze said the $1 million was part of $5 million that had been budgeted by the Government for the hospital’s expansion programme.

“We are talking of top infrastructure upgrade and the money we got is going towards that,” he said.

“As a teaching health institution, the hospital must have facilities that give adequate exposure to medical students.”

Dr Mashingaidze said they were now working on designs for the new theatres, renal unit, high dependence unit (HDU), intensive care unit (ICU) and extra wards, among other notable infrastructure upgrades.

“We are working on designs because we are coming up with a new block to house theatres, intensive care unit, renal unit and some wards,” he said.

“The current ICU is small as it has only three beds and therefore the need to expand it,” he said.

Dr Mashingaidze said there has also been a surge in the number of specialist doctors at the hospital who need more space to attend to patients.

“We have witnessed an increase in specialists who need more room, the renal unit we want should accommodate 10 machines, at least,” he said. “We need to increase ward space and that money is going to do just that.”

Speaking in Parliament recently, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said there was need to upgrade Gweru Provincial Hospital, adding that funds will be made available to start the project.