Financial woes hamstring Chitungwiza Hospital

Source: Financial woes hamstring Chitungwiza Hospital – NewsDay Zimbabwe

BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO
LACK of financial support has stalled completion of a number of projects at Chitungwiza Central Hospital (CCH) which is also battling to provide a balanced diet to patients.

A 600 000-litre water tank project initiated in March this year to ease water challenges at the health institution has stalled due to financial constraints.

CCH administrator Bright Mupindu told NewsDay that the project required US$500 000.

“We wish to have partners who can assist to take the project forward. We made a foundation and we want to compact and build trenches for columns. But there is no money to hire a quality controller, buy cement and concrete,” Mupindu said.

“This area is sitting on a rock so most drilled boreholes are shallow. On a daily basis we require boreholes. The tank will boost water supply as water from our boreholes and Chitungwiza Municipality will be pumped to the tank. We are going to use a booster tank. We have drilled about seven boreholes, but most of them don’t have water.”

He added: “And for our state-of-the-art laundry machines to work there is a certain level of water needed, the first stage requires 200 litres per load and the rinsing stage needs 600 litres.”

CCH board public relations and marketing subcommittee chairperson Lameck Chibvongodze said they were struggling to provide good meals for patients.

“Our patients are not getting the best they must be getting. You know that for patients to recover they need good food,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mupindu confirmed that five of the 10 freezers in the hospital’s mortuary which were affected by voltage imbalance in December last year were fixed last month.

“All our 10 fridges are now working,” he said.