THE Government is spearheading urgent repair works at Mutare Provincial Hospital and the procurement of more drugs ahead of next week’s medical mission by Indian surgeons who are expected to conduct over two thousand procedures at the referral health facility.
As Mutare Provincial Hospital is set to host a team of medical specialists from India next week, the government has embarked on a fundraising programme to replace obsolete and malfunction equipment at Manicaland’s biggest hospital, as well as boosting stocks of drugs, among other hospital requirements.
The Minister of State for Manicaland Province and Devolution, Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba, who is the head of the fundraising team, told ZBC News that positive progress has been registered as major works are underway.
“We are doing some preparations for a team of specialist doctors who are coming from India. We have made some strides in terms of resource mobilisation. We had a number of our facilities that require attention with National Oil Infrastructure Company (NOIC) pledging to attend to elevators that are out of order. NOIC also offered ZWL$105 000 to provide for the ventilator which is a critical component of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Tanga company pledged ZWL$48 000 to repair the existing autoclaving machine while Petrozim donated for drugs,” Dr Gwaradzimba said.
The Minister, however, appealed for more urgent support from the corporate world so that they attend to other critical hospital requirements.
“The hospital still require assistance in terms of drugs with at least two hundred thousand worth of drugs required while theatre lights that require 18 000. While we are making good progress time is not on our side to support the hospital so that it is in good shape before the arrival of 20 specialist doctors from India,” she said.
The Indian medical specialists will be in the country from 26 February to 7 March and are expected to focus on general, plastic, orthopaedic, dermatology and urology surgeries, among others.
Manicaland province last hosted a medical mission in 2015 where 1100 surgical procedures were conducted against a set target of 800.
