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Cde Ncube

Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Bureau
Newly-appointed Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Cde Owen Ncube has expressed concern over the shortage of medical doctors in the province. Cde Ncube said 31 percent of strategic health institutions in the province were not adequately manned by doctors.

In an interview, Cde Ncube said there was need for the Ministry of Health and Child Care to address such issues and ensure they come up with packages or conditions that lure medical practitioners to health institutions in areas perceived to be peripheral.

“We have noted with great concern that 31 percent of doctors’ posts in the province are vacant. This means that 31 percent of our strategic health institutions that should operate with doctors are not manned by qualified medical practitioners,” he said.

“We are going to engage the relevant ministry to look into the matter and see how best we can be assisted as a province. The health sector is very critical and our main aim is also to ensure increased access to health services by people, particularly in our rural communities.”

Cde Ncube said in Gokwe, Government, together with the private sector had made significant strides in addressing the infrastructure side of the health delivery system through the construction of health facilities such as clinics and hospitals, which were unfortunately not manned by medical doctors.

He said there were more than 240 hospitals and clinics in the province serving more than 1,6 million people. Cde Ncube said corporates should complement Government in improving infrastructure in the health sector in the province.

He commended the Ministry of Health and Child Care for deploying anti-malaria teams to all the districts in the province under a malaria control programme to combat the disease which is prevalent during the rain season.