via Mnene hospital officials in $700k fraud 06 January 2015
INVESTIGATIONS in underhand dealings involving misappropriation of public funds amounting to $700 000 at Mnene Mission Hospital have begun, Newzimbabwe.com has confirmed.
Senior health officials at the Lutheran Church run institution are alleged to have siphoned the money received in 2011 as part of government funds meant to revive the health sector.
The Acting Officer Commanding police in the Midlands province, Assistant Commissioner Musarashana Mabunda, confirmed the investigations but said he could not divulge much detail as that would jeopardise police work.
“I can confirm that investigations have just begun and that’s all I can say at the moment,” Mabunda said.
During a tour of Mnene in August last year, then deputy health and child care minister, Dr Paul Chimedza, said his ministry would dismiss and prosecute those behind the misuse of government funds.
“As ministry we fail to understand why Mnene hospital has been negligent in handling public funds at the expense of service delivery.
We suspect that someone might be behind all this. To me it looks like sabotage and it needs to be corrected,” Chimedza was quoted saying then.
In 2012, Mnene subcontracted a Bulawayo-based company, Food Miles,
without going to tender, to renovate the hospital but officials say the company failed to complete its obligations.
“Of the $700 000 the hospital received from government Food Miles took
nearly 60% of that money but since 2011 renovations by that company are at 25% completion,” a senior official at hospital who requested anonymity told Newzimbabwe.com.
Reports indicate that officials at the hospital conducted business through un-procedural tenders, inflating prices for various medical equipment and other jobs at the referral hospital.
The rot at Mnene was unearthed by the local MP for Mberengwa North Tafanana Zhou last year in May when he had gone on a fact finding mission
on the water problems the institution was facing.
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