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Bulisile Mguni Chronicle Reporter
WELL-WISHERS based in the United Kingdom have donated food and equipment to Ingutsheni Central Hospital in Bulawayo. The donation comes barely a month after Health and Child Care Minister David Parirenyatwa said there was a critical food and medicine shortages at the institution.

Parirenyatwa admitted the government is struggling to provide for the increasing number of patients at the institution.

Nobuhle Mguni, a psychiatric nurse in the UK, said she teamed up with friends to source 133 blankets, books, sheets, curtains, assistive devices for rehabilitation, copiers, printers and a scanner.

She said she felt the urge to help the institution when her uncle was admitted to the hospital.

“I first came to Ingutsheni Hospital when my uncle was admitted here. I was not pleased with the environment we left him in,” said Mguni.

“When I got back to the UK, I told my colleague Michael Pourlter and in 2013 we began to appeal for donations from other people.”

She said after getting donations, they faced financial challenges in transporting the goods to Zimbabwe. Mguni said Good Samaritans chipped in with the needed finance to enable the goods to be transported to Zimbabwe.

Ingutsheni human resources manager, Mike Masaka, said the institution was facing challenges when it comes to providing basics to the patients.

He said it was therefore encouraging when people in the Diaspora come back home to assist.

“This is a gesture that we really appreciate and we urge Diasporans to continue doing this wonderful thing. The blankets that have been donated came at the right time as we’re fast approaching winter and I think these people were heaven-sent,” said Masaka.

“Like any other government institution, we’re having financial problems. Furthermore the patients here are not paying, that’s why we rely on donors.”

Mguni briefed the gathering on the activities that she and her colleagues had undertaken to resuscitate Bulawayo. “We started a Facebook page titled ‘Bring Back Bulawayo’ and managed to open a goal fund account, with my colleagues, Grace Sibanda, Yvonne McGuiel and Charity Moyo,” said Mguni.

“On this page we offer, find help and share charity work and also work with other charities to contribute in helping the less privileged. The same group allows people to share business ideas as well.”

Last month Ingwebu Breweries donated a tonne of royal sorghum meal to the same hospital.

During the same month Dominican Convent Junior School donated foodstuffs.