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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
Work on the sprucing up of health institutions in Manicaland has began, with the rehabilitation of Chipinge District Hospital now at 69 percent complete.

The facelift of the hospital was instigated by Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo, after touring the facility soon after Cyclone Idai hit Manicaland in March.

Chipinge District Hospital handled the majority of the people injured during the cyclone while serious cases were referred to Mutare Provincial Hospital for specialist treatment.

Giving an update of the state of health institutions recently, Manicaland Provincial Medical Director Dr Patron Mafaune said the first phase of rehabilitation works was at 69 percent.

“There are works being carried out, carpentry works are at 95 percent, tiling at 40 percent,” she said. “Carpentry works at the children’s ward are at 80 percent complete. We have received a consignment of more materials which we are transporting to Chipinge District Hospital to ensure that we finish our works.”

Dr Mafaune said water shortages that had been affecting the running of the hospital were now a thing of the past, as all critical departments had now had adequate water supplies.

The sewer system works were at 30 percent.

Besides sprucing up Chipinge District Hospital, Government is also rehabilitating Muchadziya Clinic, which was the most affected by Cyclone Idai.

“Muchadziya Clinic is also undergoing rehabilitation works and progress to complete that clinic is now at 80 percent,” said Dr Mafaune.

She said the province had received medical equipment, including 100 hospital beds which were distributed to the hospitals that were mostly used during the Cyclone Idai disaster, Chipinge District Hospital, Chimanimani Rural Hospital, Mutambara Mission Hospital and Birchenough Bridge Hospital.

Sixty BP machines were also procured and distributed to all facilities in Chimanimani and parts of Chipinge.

Dr Mafaune said the province received 10 hospital beds from the Avenues Clinic in Harare, as well as a theatre bed which had been donated to Chipinge District Hospital.

“On staffing, the Ministry of Health had a shortage of doctors as the majority of them had gone to school to advance their qualifications,” she said. “However, we have been receiving doctors since July and there is going to be a noticeable change in the availability of doctors in hospitals.”

Dr Mafaune said overall availability of medication in the province was at 66,7 percent, with shortages recorded in anti-psychotics and oral family planning pills.

She said the ministry was working to ensure that clinics in remote areas were stocked with medicines before the commencement of the rainy season, as most of the areas become inaccessible.

Meanwhile, 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 the Midlands State University (MSU), writes Midlands Bureau Chief Patrick Chitumba.

In an interview yesterday, 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 expansion programme.

“We have received $1 million from Government for the upgrade of the hospital. We are talking of top infrastructure upgrade and the money we got is going towards that. The money received is part of $5 million budget for this noble cause,” he said.

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

He said they are 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 upgrade.

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

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

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

Speaking in Parliament recently, the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Obadiah Moyo, said there was need to upgrade Gweru Provincial Hospital adding that funds would be made available for the noble cause.