The Sunday Mail
Harmony Agere
The GOVERNMENT is beefing up the health infrastructure across the country and has so far injected US$200 million to scale-up the fight against Covid-19 and revive major projects which had been abandoned by the previous administration, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima has said.
Responding to questions from Members of Parliament in the National Assembly last week, Professor Mavima said one of the projects that the Government has resuscitated is the construction of Lupane Provincial Hospital.
“You will find that if you go even deep into the country, most of our primary health care facilities are being renovated,” he said.
“There is massive investment into health and where we have dealt with issues of isolation centres. We have created infrastructure that will last beyond Covid-19, which means there is a way in which our health infrastructure has been renewed. We have picked up seven projects that had been abandoned like Lupane Provincial Hospital.”
Professor Mavima said the US$200 million was spent on improving services such as water, solar, electricity and hospital equipment, while also fighting Covid-19.
“We are fighting Covid-19 but during that process we have invested massively into our health infrastructure for the future.”
In addition to waiving healthcare fees for children and the elderly, Professor Mavima said the Government is running a social protection scheme to pay medical bills for the needy.
“For example, those who come with bills to the Department of Social Development are helped with payment of their bills,” he said.
“These are all issues that Government has instituted in order to improve our health delivery system.”
Heads of some of the hospitals that have benefited from the US$200 million funding confirmed that Government has done its part.
Sally Mugabe Hospital acting CEO Dr Christopher Pasi said because of the support received from the Government, the referral centre was “not in a crisis”.
“I can safely say that we are not in a crisis, but we need more to increase our capacity, especially to fight Covid-19. For now we are working with what we have while waiting for more resources,” he said.
Mpilo Hospital acting CEO Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said:
“We are doing what we can with the resources that we have available. We are however, having challenges with space in the mortuaries and we would also like the Government to look into this.”
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals spokesperson Mr Linos Dire said the institution still has vacant beds for Covid-19 patients.
“Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has the largest Covid-19 treatment and care centre in the country with a total bed capacity of 425.
‘‘We currently have over 200 Covid-19 patients admitted in these wards, meaning we still have space for Covid-19 patients deserving admission.”
