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Herald Reporters
Government has unveiled $3 million towards rehabilitation of Mvurwi Hospital, which has been designated as the Covid-19 Mashonaland Central provincial isolation centre.

Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri revealed this when she toured the hospital on Saturday.

She said she had been impressed by efforts made by the province to deal with the pandemic.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri later visited Chipadze isolation centre in Bindura, where she presented blankets, pillows, pillow cases, duvet covers, sheets and bath towels from the national Covid-19 taskforce to support the quarantine centre at Bindura University of Science Education, which received eight returning citizens from South Africa.

Government has called for accountability and transparency in the distribution of Covid-19 resources.

She implored the province to take the opportunity to upgrade and modernise their hospitals and make sure they are wheelchair friendly.

“I thank the provincial taskforce, which is working as a team and they are making progress. Mvurwi Hospital has put together a needs assessment plan to identify what is required now to make sure that the place is uplifted and ready to accommodate patients,” she said.

“$3 million has been put in place for Mvurwi Hospital renovations. I am impressed by the cooperation between the business community and Government to fill in the gaps to ensure there is adequate health service delivery for everyone.”

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said Government had adopted a new system of quarantining returning citizens in their provinces to ease pressure on Matabeleland and Harare.

She later met with Zanu-PF party members to launch the provincial department of the disabled and underprivileged.

She said the programme for people with disabilities was President Mnangagwa’s number one priority and must be taken up by the province and cascade it down to ward level.

“Identify people with needs in your villages and no one with a disability must be left behind. When the province does its land audit consider people with disability in land allocation so that we give them dignity,” she said.

Founder of Muduvuri Rehabilitation and Empowerment Foundation (MREF), Mr Jimayi Muduvuri distributed groceries comprising maize meal, soap, cooking oil, salt and flour to 300 people with disabilities.

Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs and Devolution Senator Monica Mavhunga said the quarantine centre had been lacking linen and bedding material, adding that the donation had come at the right time.

“We have identified four quarantine centres and we are expecting our first batch of eight returning citizens who will be accommodated at BUSE. We had mobilised food, but linen and bedding was lacking,” she said.