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Government has announced that it will avail $28 million for the wholesale upgrade of Manama Mission Hospital which was early this month damaged by a violent storm.

Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro said Government which had released $8 million towards the repairs of the hospital had realised that the hospital’s entire infrastructure needs upgrading.

He said the hospital authorities will therefore receive an additional $20 million to fund the upgrading of infrastructure. Dr Mangwiro said the infrastructure at the hospital does not meet the modern health standards hence the Government decision to upgrade it.

Most health care services at the hospital have been suspended after the hospital infrastructure was damaged by the violent storm which blew off roofs of some wards, damaged solar panels, telecommunication cables and destroyed water tanks.

The hospital which services about 90 000 people from Gwanda district and Beitbridge West, was forced to suspend many of the services as it does not have electricity and some wards are without roofs.

We want at this juncture to applaud Government for its prompt response to distress calls from Manama community which at the moment does not have access to most health care services which used to be provided by the hospital.

The hospital was built by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) in 1939 but despite the fact that it is a church-run hospital, Government has moved in with the required resources.

The Government appreciates the important services the hospital is providing.

The churches have over the years complemented Government efforts to provide essential services such as health care and education. This partnership should be nurtured for the benefit of not only the present generation but future generations as well.

The work that needs to be done at Manama Hospital might require other partners to complement Government efforts to modernise the hospital. Many facilities at the hospital are not working and the $20 million Government has availed for the upgrade of infrastructure might not be enough.

More resources are needed to spruce up the hospital so that it meets the modern standards of health facilities.
Dr Mangwiro has described the hospital as the dirtiest hospital he has ever visited and this is very disturbing given that the hospital has administrators who must see to it that high levels of hygiene are maintained.

Failure to maintain high levels of hygiene compromises the patients’ health hence the need for the responsible authority to move swiftly to correct this.

Maintaining hygiene does not need additional resources but just staff commitment and discipline.