Mpilo Hospital renovations near completion

The contractor responsible for the hospital rehabilitation works is Prevail Group of Companies, owned by Special Presidential Investment Advisor Dr Paul Tungwarara.

Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube, on Wednesday toured the institution alongside a delegation from the Joint Operations Command (JOC), the Department of Public Works and other government departments to assess progress on the project.

The tour was led by Mpilo Central Hospital, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya and hospital management officials.

Renovations are currently focused on Blocks C and D, with hospital authorities indicating that the upgraded wards are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Mpilo Acting Clinical Director, Dr Fanuel Mwedzi, said the completion of the two blocks would pave the way for the next phase of works.

“We are very excited with the exercise started by the President of Zimbabwe. As you can see, this is very beautiful work that started here. Works for Phase One are almost 80 to 90 percent complete,” said Dr Mwedzi.

“We started with Blocks C and D and renovations are very good. The works are almost done. We think by the end of the year these two blocks will almost be complete, then we will shift patients from Blocks A and B to C and D while renovations proceed to other blocks.”

Speaking after touring the renovated wards, Minister Ncube said government officials wanted to appreciate progress made so far, describing Mpilo as one of the first public health institutions to benefit from the large-scale refurbishment programme.

“We wanted to appreciate what has been done here so far. If you look at these renovations, we really appreciate what the President is doing to our health institutions, Mpilo being one of those first institutions to benefit from such huge renovations,” she said.

“Every time when the President talks of Vision 2030, we would be wondering what exactly that is, but with these huge renovations done here, we are seeing light in the circumstances that we will be able to achieve or attain Vision 2030.”

Ncube said she had been briefed by Prof Ngwenya on improvements at the hospital, including increased availability of medicines.

“I was talking to the Acting CMO, Prof Ngwenya, who was telling me there is a lot of improvement in this hospital including medication. Prior to this direction, they would simply be writing what is expected to be provided by a patient but of late, the medication is readily available and the patient is supplied with what is needed,” she said.

She commended hospital management for efforts made to improve services, recounting a conversation she had with a member of the public who praised the hospital’s recent transformation.

“One day when I was driving out of this institution, one woman said to me, ‘There’s a lot of improvement. We are so grateful. Do you know Ngwenya?’ I then said, ‘No, I don’t know him.’ She said, ‘He’s the one in charge, it’s now better, it was bad here, there was negligence.’”

Ncube said public institutions required dedicated leadership and encouraged officials entrusted with public responsibilities to perform diligently.

“Whenever you have been assigned to do something, please put your heart into it and perform the best you can do so that people will certainly say, ‘Siyabonga umuntu onjengo Ngwenya basincedisile and we are so grateful.’”

The provincial minister added that she had engaged the contractor on the construction of a canteen and restaurant facility to provide medical personnel with a dignified space where they could have meals and take lunch breaks.

Prof Ngwenya welcomed the ministerial visit, saying the refurbishment programme would significantly improve patient care at a hospital that was built more than seven decades ago.

“We are very happy today to receive the Resident Minister to tour the President’s scheme of renovating, upgrading and modernising our hospitals, which is a very excellent idea,” he said.

“This hospital was built in 1953, so to upgrade and modernise it will benefit our patients to be cared for in an environment that matches modern times. We are very happy progress is going on very well. We hope to finish these blocks and then move to the other blocks.”

The Mpilo rehabilitation programme is a recent initiative of the government aimed at refurbishing and modernising public health institutions across the country.