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Ekusileni Medical Centre

Thandeka Moyo, Health Reporter
TWO foreign investors have made the final list of companies that will be contracted to open and operate Ekusileni Hospital in Bulawayo.

Ekusileni was built in 2001.

It was a specialist hospital which operated for a few months and was shut down after it was discovered that the acquired equipment, worth millions of dollars, was obsolete.

In an interview yesterday Dr Nyasha Masuka, who chairs a committee which was set up to ensure the hospital reopens, said things were in place.

“We conducted interviews on March 19 where all four task team committee members were panellists. We also had 20 observers which include Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa, Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Mrs Angeline Masuku and the deputy chief secretary in the office of the president Mr Ray Ndhlukula and other clinical specialists,” said Dr Masuka.

He said the interview had people from different departments.

“We interviewed prospective investors using our criteria as this was not a tender process but an assessment process to identify serious investors,” he said.
Dr Masuka added that the two finalists had not been made public though they are both from outside Zimbabwe. “We encouraged them to prioritise partnering local radiology, pharmacy departments and laboratories. One of the important issues that came up is that they need to do a feasibility study to ascertain what the market is like,” he said.

According to Dr Masuka, the whole process of doing the study and bringing in equipment and specialists may last up to six months or a year.

Meanwhile, Dr Masuka who was the Matabeleland North provincial medical director has been appointed as the new chief executive officer for Harare Central Hospital.

@thamamoe