Wilkins facelift begins 

Talent Gore and Fadziso Mundawarara
The facelift of Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital following a commitment by China to assist Zimbabwe in its national response towards any cases of Covid-19, has begun in earnest.

The upgrading of the hospital which started over the weekend was donated by three Chinese companies and is expected to be finished in 10 days.

City health director Dr Prosper Chonzi confirmed the latest development saying the upgrade was a sign of commitment by China to combating the spread of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe.

“The hospital is very critical and important to everyone in the country especially now that there is Covid-19 outbreak.

“The upgrading of Wilkins Hospital by China has begun, the workers started over the weekend and are working 24 hours,” he  said.

“The Chinese want the hospital to be complete in 10 days, they are only getting disturbances when we admit a patient at the hospital otherwise they are working nonstop. We are hoping that by Monday everything will be done.”

Dr Chonzi said the assistance will go a long way in further strengthening the country’s preparedness and give confidence to health workers on the safety of their working environment.

“We are very happy with the assistance that the Chinese Embassy is going to be offering towards upgrading of our isolation facility. This will help a lot and improve further our preparedness while giving confidence to our staff as well that they are also working in a safe environment,” he said.

Zimbabwe has not yet recorded any case of coronavirus, but previously isolated 14 suspected cases at Wilkins Hospital for further investigations.