Zimpapers Logo

Temba Dube Deputy News Editor
EXECUTIVES at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo allegedly flouted disciplinary procedures to reinstate convicted criminals that perpetuated fraud and corruption, an audit carried out by the Health Services Board has revealed.

According to the report, standards plummeted to an extent that patients were last year subjected to the horror of seeing two mortuary attendants dragging a body down the stairs.

There is no proper supervision that enabled nurses at the institution to carry out illegal abortions for a fee, while nurses and clerks were charging patients and pocketing the money.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa yesterday called for a speedy conclusion to the hospital’s saga saying stability needed to be restored.

Excerpts from the report, a copy of which is in The Chronicle’s possession, show that absenteeism and negligence “reached alarming levels, hence affecting service delivery,” following questionable human resources decisions.

Four executives at one of the country’s biggest referral hospitals – the chief executive officer Lawrence Mantiziba, operations director Duduza Regina Moyo, finance director Charles Govo, and chairperson of the central buying unit Mxolisi Sibanda – are on suspension over allegations of abuse of office.

They started attending internal disciplinary hearings on September 14.

The report shows that between 2012 and 2014, 18 cases of misconduct by staff members including fraud and theft of medicine were recorded in the Manifest Cases register.

“Some of the staff members were convicted in a court of law but were reinstated to their work positions. This indicated that management was failing to investigate and penalise the offenders,” reads the report.

Sources at the hospital alleged the convicts were part of a larger syndicate that was draining the hospital’s coffers.

“They were promised their jobs back if they didn’t blow the whistle on executives they work in cahoots with,” said an official who cannot be named for professional reasons.

“All this rot started when Sister (Vengai) Majada was victimised in 2011 for insisting on checking the quality and value of all equipment delivered to the hospital. Everyone who spoke up was either dismissed or threatened with unspecified action,” said the source.

The source said pharmacists, Meluleki Sibanda, Tawanda Nyamazana and Kudakwashe Fumhira were dismissed on trumped up charges of going on manpower development leave without approval.

“Their actual crime was refusing to accept medicines from an unapproved supplier, which they said were substandard,” said the source.

The source said it was regrettable that the good name of the hospital and the sterling work of hundreds of dedicated employees was being overshadowed by the greedy actions of a few individuals.

The report indicates that between 2012 and this year, there were 32 cases of fraud and corruption that were perpetrated by hospital staff and a human resources officer, whom auditors felt was not qualified, presided over the hearings.

Two junior doctors and principal tutor who were found guilty on fraud charges and recorded as discharged, were still at work and on the pay sheet, reads the report.

It is stated in the report that 11 staff members were found guilty of misconduct but no verdict was given and recorded in the register.

“Some selected personnel handling investigations were interested parties and also lack expertise to handle the issues,” revealed the report.

So rampant was lack of supervision, the report indicates, that laundry staff was able to create artificial shortage by creating shifts where each member came to work for two weeks every month, while drawing full salaries. Renal staff were coming back to work after hours to conduct private dialysis at night using hospital equipment and resources.

“There was a drug racket among the pharmacists as Jonathan Manyoni was apprehended with drugs. The two pharmacists, Dhlamini and Manyoni were reportedly operating a private pharmacy in town,” the report says.

The audit cited a case of a woman whose 12-year-old son died in 2014 after she slipped and fell down a flight of stairs while carrying the boy on her back.

“The escorting nurse and driver were nowhere to be seen,” noted the auditors.

Auditors wrote that the scenarios show a bad culture was developing at the institution.

They said patients were suffering due to corruption, fraud and poor customer service.

“Employees were choosing to behave unethically and inappropriately because there was an unwritten rule that such behaviour was acceptable as offenders were going unpunished,” concluded the auditors.

The secretary of the Zimbabwean Chapter of the Association of Certified fraud examiners, Philani Sibanda, yesterday said executives had a fiduciary role to ensure institutions under their control ran smoothly.

“Only the big guys can override controls so it’s logical that fraud investigations should start with them.

“The investigations should be thorough and address all areas of concern, otherwise issues will be popping up one by one, meaning come next year, we’ll still be talking about Mpilo hearings without a solution in sight,” said Sibanda.

Dr Parirenyatwa, while declining to comment on the hearings, yesterday commended the Mpilo Hospital Board for exposing the issues so that they can be addressed.

“Investigations and hearings are still ongoing and we want to conclude them as soon as possible to ensure stability and public faith are restored at the hospital,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.

He declined to comment on the ongoing disciplinary hearings that were scheduled when an HSB audit suggested hospital executives were working as a syndicate to bleed millions from the hospital’s coffers.

Dr Parirenyatwa said anyone found guilty of wrongdoing would be punished.

Last month, police arrested 14 workers at the institution as investigations into abuse of office charges gathered pace.

The 14 appeared in court and were released after prosecutors said they would proceed by way of summons.