Zimpapers Logo

Bongani Ndlovu, Online Reporter 

MORE than 700 patients at Ingutsheni Central Hospital in Bulawayo were this afternoon treated to a luncheon by well-wishers.

Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Action Group in conjunction with True Elegance spent the day with patients at the mental health institution on Tuesday.

Ingutsheni Hospital public relations officer Matron Vongai Simbimbi said 716 patients were fed.

“The patients and the staff are all pleased and very grateful for this luncheon. They brought the Christmas Cheer early for us. Families and friends will be spending Christmas together as a special time, we appreciate that there are some who are luckier than others, and it is fitting that our patients and staff have been thought of as well,” said Matron Simbimbi.

We want to thank them for this unwavering support as the Friends of Ingutsheni have been assisting us for the past five years. We hope members of society can help not only us but people who find themselves in similar situations,” said Matron Simbimbi.

One of the founders of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Action Group Ms Sifiso Agbetorwoka said the event has been in existence since 2018.

“We started doing this in 2018, as a group of mental health nurses who worked in the UK and two of us were based here. We collaborated with some of our colleagues in the UK and we formed a trust called Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Action Group.

“The vision is to support our colleagues at Ingutsheni and give care to patients with mental illness. We wanted to share the experiences and knowledge we had acquired during our training and working in the UK,” said Ms Agbetorwoka.

She said after three years the luncheon incorporated members of staff at Ingustheni as an appreciation.

“We started off as a Christmas lunch and after its success, we decided to do so the following year. In 2021, we decided to include, the staff because they need to be appreciated for the work that they do and we provided Christmas lunch for both staff and patients.

“We have done this by seeking donations from the Bulawayo community and they have responded well. The people have given very generously and that is how we have managed to pull it off for these past two years,” said Ms Agbetorwoka.

The Mental health and Learning Disabilities Action Group/ Ingutsheni community support Collective provided an early Christmas lunch at Ingutsheni Hospital on 6th December 2022.

This has now become a tradition since 2018 when we provided lunch for 130 patients.  Last year we went a step further and hosted lunch for 700 patients and all the staff on duty.

Again this year, in collaboration with True Elegance Events, Inspire WMC, ZARDA Bulawayo and Abangani Platform hosted this year’s early Christmas lunch at an even higher scale by also providing supper for patients and staff on night duty.