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Herald Reporter
The first phase for the construction of Lupane Provincial Hospital is expected to be completed next year, with the out-patients department opening its doors to the public soon after, a senior official in the Ministry of Health and Child Care has said.

Speaking at an all-stakeholders pre-Budget meeting for the Ministry of Health and Child Care in Harare recently, the ministry’s finance director, Mrs Heather Machamire, who was represented by Ms Lynnette Tennis, said they had been allocated $50 million towards construction of the hospital by Treasury in the last budgetary allocations.

“We hope to complete the first phase of this institution so that by end of 2020, the out-patients department facilities would be functional,” said Mrs Machamire.

Once complete, Lupane Provincial Hospital is expected to serve as a referral health centre for all seven district hospitals in Matabeleland North Province.

St Luke’s Mission Hospital is being used as the provincial hospital, with cases being referred to Mpilo or United Bulawayo Hospitals, a move which has a bearing on costs of medical care for patients since they have to meet transport costs too.
Matabeleland North was the only province which has not had a provincial hospital since Independence in 1980.

Government is committed to construct Lupane Provincial Hospital; work started in 2005 before it was abandoned in 2007 due to financial challenges.

Government re-committed $50 million towards the project during the last budgetary allocations, thereby reviving construction of the hospital.