Source: UPDATED: President opens health facilities | The Herald
Mukudzei Chingwere in Bulawayo
President Mnangagwa has officially opened two health facilities here, signalling Government’s quest to revamp the health services and guarantee universal health coverage as a means to improve people’s lives.
The two facilities are a pediatric orthopaedic hospital and a Covid-19 isolation and treatment centre.
The paediatric Orthopaedic facility – to be named Bulawayo Orthopaedic Hospital, is the first of its kind in Zimbabwe and just the third in Southern Africa.
It will focus on treating children below 18 years with severe deformities, referred for specialist attention from public hospitals for free.
While the United Bulawayo Hospitals Covid-19 isolation and treatment centre is expected to boost the country’s response to the global pandemic which has been commended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Through Government’s Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), they partnered with a non-governmental organisation, Cure, for the restoration of the Bulawayo Orthopaedic Hospital as well as the isolation centre.
President Mnangagwa said Covid-19 has two aspects – negative and positive – the negative which saw some succumbing to the pandemic.
“This achievement is a testimony of the fact that the bold and strategic decisions taken by the Second Republic to stabilise, restructure and reform the public health sector in our country are yielding fruit,” he said.
“It made us focus on the improvement of health facilities across the country.”
President Mnangagwa said the country now had equipment that matched those in the first world, an important forerunner in the country’s medical tourism. He said the children’s hospital was providing specialities that were hitherto not available in the country. He said he foresaw other nationalities coming to get treatment.
President Mnangagwa urged health workers to be committed to the oath of their profession of saving lives, reminding people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
President Mnangagwa donated an ambulance to UBH and Gwanda provincial hospital.
Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga said the facilities will transform the face of the country’s healthcare system.
“This is a testimony of the low hanging fruits for the public-private partnerships,” he said.
The Covid-19 isolation and treatment centre is a partnership with Arundel Hospital, while Cure Children’s Hospital of Zimbabwe is the private partner for the children’s hospital.
COMMENTS
ED must have been able to steal something in Bulawayo again. He only goes where he can get something for nothing. What did he do for the new bridge over the Zambezi – bugger all.