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Masvingo Correspondent
Government is planning to construct a new $33 million modern district hospital at Ngundu Growth Point that will serve as the new referral health institution for Chivi district.

The proposed state-of-the-art health facility will be bigger than the district referral hospital at Chivi Growth  Point.

It is also envisaged that the new health referral institution at Ngundu will be handy in the wake of a spike in road traffic accidents along the Beitbridge-Masvingo Highway.

Ngundu sits right on the Beitbridge-Masvingo Highway, 98 kilometres from Masvingo and nearly 190 kilometres to Beitbridge.

Chivi District Administrator Mr Vafios Hlavati yesterday confirmed the plans to build the new district hospital at Ngundu.

He noted that the planned hospital was expected to save lives by expeditiously attending to victims of road traffic accidents along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway.

“The proposal to construct a new Government hospital at Ngundu Growth Point in Ward 25 was affirmed at a meeting held on June 14, 2018 between Local Government officials, senior health officials and private partners,” said Mr Hlavati.

“It was noted that many road traffic accident casualties along the Harare-Beitbridge Highway ended up losing their lives on their way to Chivi Hospital because of the (long) distance they have to travel before they can get attention.”

Mr Hlavati said preliminary estimates showed that the mooted hospital at Ngundu would cost $33  million.

He said there was widespread concern over the long distance to the district health referral hospital at its current location at Chivi Growth Point.

“Traditional leaders in far-flung areas such as Jaka, Zivuku, Ngundu Halt and Madzivire have repeatedly lodged bitter complaints with the Ministry of Health and Child Care on the need to have a major Government hospital within their proximity,” said Mr   Hlavati.

“‘The current Government is very proactive and we hope the new hospital project will kickoff soon after the coming polls.”

Key private players who have since shown keen interest in bankrolling construction of the new proposed hospital include World Vision, FHT360 (a health-oriented non-governmental organisation) and Care International Zimbabwe.