The Sunday Mail
Tanyaradzwa Rusike
Government is set to begin constructing a medical village for health workers and purchasing new medical equipment for Mpilo Central Hospital as part of a US$4,3 million facelift of the major referral health institution in the southern parts of the country.
The hospital’s chief executive officer, Mr Leonard Mabandi, told The Sunday Mail that Government intends to turn the institution into a world-class medical facility.
“I am very glad that there is work in progress and we have already invited national and international tenders.
“We are also working together with the Ministry of Finance (and Economic Development) in order to secure funds and we need about US$4,3 million to complete the whole project,” he said.
Mr Mabandi said it was necessary to revamp the health centre in order to improve standards. “It is not a new thing, the idea to refurbish hospitals was there since 2009. We are building a medical village for our staff because we want them to stay near so that they will be always available to assist patients.
“We have also realised that our facilities have gone for a long time without going through major rehabilitation and the equipment we have been using is outdated since it was imported long back. So we thought it is necessary to replace it,” he said.
Mpilo hospital’s catchment area covers Bulawayo and to some extent Midlands, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South.
Government is willing to rope in the private sector in some of the critical infrastructure development programmes.
The new political administration has made a commitment to refurbish the country’s health facilities in order to deliver quality health care.
Mpilo has since floated a tender for the supply of building materials, boiler chemicals and services to refurbish the hospital beds.
