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Midlands Correspondent
Kwekwe District Hospital has appealed for Government and corporate support to resuscitate its X-ray department, which has not been functioning for the past three months due to a breakdown of its machines.

The hospital is also seeking assistance to repair its fleet of ambulances and service vehicles that are down.

In a speech during the 12th graduation ceremony for nurses and midwives at the institution last Friday, the hospital’s medical superintended Dr Patricia Mapanda said the situation at the hospital was dire.

“As an institution, we had to do with what we had to churn out of these graduating nurses and midwives today,” she said. “We are faced with a plethora of challenges as an institution.

“We are currently operating without an ambulance as all our ambulances are down and need to be repaired. We also need a service truck as the one we have is in the garage and need to be repaired.”

Dr Mapanda said drug shortages had also hit the institution as suppliers were demanding forex.

“Despite the financial constraints bedevilling the country, resulting in shortages in medical equipment and resources, we must endeavour to improve with whatever we have and share the few drugs and other resources that are available with other health centres that are running short of critical resources like anaesthetic drugs,” she said.

Dr Mapanda called on captains of industry to partner the institution in the construction of staff quarters and refurbishment of hospital wards which she said were last rehabilitated during the colonial era.

“We call upon the business community to come and partner us under the Built Operate Transfer (BOT) contained in the Private Public Partnership (PPP),” he said.

“We, however, should mention Sable Chemicals, Zimasco and Kwekwe Poly who have come in with timely donations.”

Guest speaker at the function, businessman Mr Solomon Matsa pledged to buy an ultra sound scan machine for the hospital saying it is the duty of the community to ensure the medical facilities are well maintained.

“I am leading by example, as the business community and the community at large, we should play our role to ensure that our health facilities are well maintained because one day it will be you who will come there for assistance,” said Mr Matsa.

A total of 53 nurses from different intakes graduated after completing a three year course, while 92 midwives who had completed a one year course were also conferred with certificates.

Built in 1936, Kwekwe is a referral hospital and attends to cases from places like Silobela, Zhombe and Redcliff.