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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has called for partners in the proposed transformation of Ekusileni Medical Centre into a specialist research and training institution, which is being spearheaded by the National University of Science and Technology (Nust).

The university envisages Ekusileni becoming the crux of medical tourism that will generate much needed foreign currency for the country and provide essential services for both foreigners and locals at affordable costs.

Medical tourism results when foreigners visit a country for medical services. Countries such as India and South Africa are among the countries that are benefiting from traffic from Zimbabwe as the countries have better facilities to treat most ailments and usually charge less.

It is Nust’s vision to ultimately have highly specialised cardiac, renal and respiratory care (surgical and medical), that is not being offered in the country, and a specialised research centre to tackle communicable and non-communicable diseases at Ekusileni Medical Centre.

Nust has been running a Faculty of Medicine since 2005 in collaboration with Mpilo Central Hospital.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Raymore Machingura yesterday toured Ekusileni Medical Centre and urged other private players to come on board and partner Nust in setting up a medical school.

He said Government is committed to transforming the multimillion-dollar Ekusileni Medical Centre in Bulawayo into a world-class research institution to enhance the nation’s response to Covid-19 and other diseases.

“Government is working on transforming Ekusileni Medical Centre into a world-class research institution and we are doing that in phases. The first phase, which of course, is a short term is to equip it into a major Covid-19 isolation centre,” said Deputy Minister Machingura.

“The second phase is to transform Ekusileni into a specialist research and training institution. Right now, preparations are ongoing for the short term which is the Covid-19. I am actually happy with the efforts that the chief executive officer has made, including the private sector that has donated some equipment.”

He said the transformation of Ekusileni Medical Centre into specialist research and training institution is a symbol of innovativeness and a breakthrough needed in the country’s health sector.

The hospital, a brainchild of late Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo, has experienced a number of false starts and numerous efforts to re-open the institution whose building is owned by the National Social Security Company (Nssa) have failed.

The hospital was opened in 2001 and closed in 2004 because it had outdated equipment. Last month, however, there was hope that the institution would be re-opened after the Government identified the centre as one of the institutions that was earmarked to house cases of the coronavirus (Covid-19) in the city.

Government recently released $7 million towards the rehabilitation of the hospital to turn it into a national coronavirus isolation centre. Deputy Minister Machingura said more funding is needed to complete the project. Treasury is releasing funding for the hospital in tranches until the final figure of $72 million which is required for the hospital’s re-opening.

“A lot of work has been done in terms of installations, but however, there is a lot that needs to be done. As we go back to our principals, we will give them an update. We need more funding so that the facility is ready for Covid-19 patients before we talk of the long-term goals,” he said.

“We also commend the private sector that is playing an important role by complementing Government efforts. Nust will be responsible for the research and training and we implore partners to chip in in that regard. Our ultimate goal is to bring an end the general trend of people travelling outside the country to seek specialised medical attention.”

Cabinet recently resolved that post Covid-19, Ekusileni Medical Centre, will be transformed into a specialist research and teaching hospital run by Nssa with Nust providing technical expertise.

The medical centre premises have been idle since it was constructed in 2001 before it was briefly operational for seven months in 2004 after it was equipped with obsolete equipment.

The state-of-the-art 200-bed hospital is being renovated to handle Covid-19 critical patients but Government is already planning beyond the pandemic due to shortcomings in the country’s health sector, characterised by lack of specialist doctors.

The proposal to establish Ekusileni Research and Teaching Specialist (ERTS) Hospital was born out of the partnership among Nssa, the Government through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science, Innovation and Technology Development, the City of Bulawayo, Nust and the I am for Bulawayo Fighting Covid-19 Trust.

Ekusileni Medical Centre’s acting chief executive officer Dr Absalom Dube said the hospital has managed to fill 70 percent of the unfrozen 95 posts with officials although they still fall short of the required figure for them to be able to admit their first 50 patients.

“Government unfroze 95 posts for the hospital of which to date we have managed to fill 70 percent of these positions with Nust providing the senior nursing officer. However, our full staff complement for the first 50 patients stands at 240 and when we eventually operate at full capacity which is 200 beds, we will require 480 staffers, inclusive of 196 nurses,” he said. — @mashnets