Gutu Rural Hospital gets Xray machine

Gutu Rural Hospital has received a new state of the art X-ray machine as it continues to upgrade
itself into a fully-fledged District Hospital.
The mobile X-ray machine which came courtesy of Gutu Central Member of Parliament, Winston
Chitando, was received at time when the district and Masvingo Province in general are facing X-ray
services challenges as most are not working.
The machine which was received at the hospital two weeks ago, was acquired in Harare by Minister
Chitando for US$45 800 and is made up of an image reader, digitiser, its accessories, printer, stands
and table.
Speaking at an interactive meeting with Chitando and workers from government, parastatals,
agencies and local authority, the District Medical Officer, Doctor Mutero Mupereki, applauded the
donation saying it was critically needed in the community.
The district, he said, had gone for about five years without an X-ray machine after the one at Gutu
Mission Hospital broke down causing people to seek services elsewhere. Charges at one privately
owned machine that was available were too high for the ordinary person, he added.
The hospital was now looking for a skilled operator for the machine which is expected to be
operational next month.
We are proud owners of the state of the art X-ray machine in the Province which stands not to
serve Gutu only by the province and neighbouring Chirumanzu and Chikomba districts in Midlands
and Mashonaland East provinces as well. X-ray services have been a challenge in all districts in the
province even at Masvingo Provincial Hospital. We really appreciate efforts being made by MP
Chitando towards improving health service delivery in the district," the DMO said.
The X-ray machine comes hot on the heels of other donations by the Minister of two maternity
incubators for Gutu Mission Hospital and Gutu Rural Hospital with the ones at the former having
broken down and the latter having them for the first time.
Dr Mupereki said Minister Chitando has been instrumental in moves to have Gutu hospital upgrade
into a Government District Hospital starting in 2018 when he sourced from Zimplats aid to build a
mortuary and laundry room.
A tour of the Hospital by Rural Communication Services revealed that there is enough space to
expand and construct what is needed for a fully-fledged district medical facility. A state of the art
pharmacy set up by Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) is also in place.
Currently, structures in place include male and female wards, maternity, paediatric and labour wards
with outpatient, dental, VIAC, OI, laboratory antenatal, counselling, psychiatric, physiotherapy units
with three doctors' rooms.

The hospital attracts patients from the district and beyond because its services are free, currently
has two doctors and one clinical officer, a psychiatrist and assistant and a physiotherapist among
other specialised staff.
Other government rural hospitals in the district include Chimombe, Chinyika and Chitando but they
do not have resident doctors and refer patients to Gutu Mission Hospital.

With the new District Hospital plans now with the Department of Public Works, the DMO said the
Ministry of Health and Child Care is lobbying for funds from Treasury to kick-start construction of the
major hospital structure, and state of the art laboratory.
He added that through MP Chitando, they have donors who are ready to start construction of a
maternity wing and garden flats for staff accommodation at the hospital.
Affordable access to health is a critical requirement for everyone despite location and social status
and we are working with the local leadership to get the stalled work on the district hospital moving
with public, private partnerships being encouraged as Government is daunted with other needs
throughout the country,” Dr Mupereki said.
Plans to have Gutu district hospital upgraded have been in the pipeline for long with progress being
stalled by lack of funding from Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP). The district is currently
using Reformed Church owned Gutu Mission Hospital as its referral centre a set-up which has
inconvenienced the poor who can not afford the medical charges required by the hospital.
As a result, Gutu Rural Hospital which is centrally located at Mupandawana, has been overwhelmed
with patients from other district seeking doctors' services, free treatment and drugs.
The hospital is also in dire need of service vehicles and ambulances as the current aged fleet of
seven is all grounded.