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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter 

DELAYS in the re-opening of Ekusileni Hospital in Bulawayo are down to the investor who is yet to respond to Government after making demands that are beyond the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s jurisdiction, a senior official has said.

Government in 2018 partnered an Indian investor, Sharda Group of Institutions (SGI), for the re-opening of the specialist medical facility, a brain child of former Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo.

The hospital was shut down in the early 2000s shortly after it was opened as it was equipped with obsolete equipment. 

In an interview recently, Ministry of Health and Child Care Permanent Secretary Dr Agnes Mahomva said Government has done everything in its power to facilitate the re-opening of the hospital. 

“Yes, the Ministry was trying to work with an organisation that signed a Memorandum of Understanding with us. They basically sent us a list of requirements or demands which they wanted which are of a financial nature. As a Ministry that is not our baby. We then wrote to Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to help us clarify the issues” said Dr Mahomva.

“How do you continue if you want tax exemptions, if you want this, that is not what the Ministry of Health does. We communicated with the Ministry of Finance (and Economic Development) and they in turn communicated and clearly articulated what needs to happen. We in turn shared that with the partner that we were supposed to work with. We are as we speak waiting for them to come back and let us know if they agree to those conditions or not. It is not the Ministry of Health that is delaying anything. I think that is the message that had been going around.” 

She said the Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Obadiah Moyo last communicated with the representatives of the company in December as he gave them responses from Treasury. 

Dr Mahomva said the Ministry is still waiting for the investors to accept or decline Government’s position on the deal. 

“As a Ministry we want it operationalised. That is to our advantage. There is absolutely no reason why we would delay it. But as long as there are technical issues that are outside our Ministry, technical issues that the partner still has to come out and answer to, we can only continue to chase up and that is exactly what we are doing,” she said.

Dr Mahomva said her Ministry is alive to the fact that the Second Republic wants to have developmental deals done expeditiously. 

She said the Ministry of Health and Child Care does not want to see the partnership being cancelled as Cabinet did with the National Railways of Zimbabwe’s Diaspora Infrastructure Development Group (DIDG) deal which was annulled.

“In the New Dispensation, we want things to be done in a fast way but we are also aware that you have to follow the rules and the laws of the land. If there is anything that is not quite following the laws of the land bordering on maybe not being legal, I don’t think there is anyone who would want to continue. And I’m saying if there is anything like that,” said Dr Mahomva.

“And from our side we definitely want to continue with any organisation or anybody who is following the laws of the land. Anything that is cancelled will be done on merit, guided by the laws of the land and never because the Ministry of Health wants to cancel anything.”- @nqotshil