By Sharon Chimenya
UPGRADING of the Masvingo Provincial Hospital into a teaching hospital for the Great Zimbabwe University’s medical students is on course with the Government committed to meeting the deadline.
The university’s Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Science, which is envisioned to transform the health care system in the province, opened its doors to the first batch of 20 students in March 2023.
The students are due for their clinical studies early next year and are expected to undergo training at the provincial hospital.
Masvingo Provincial Hospital is a referral hospital to over 1,6 million people in the province and during the official opening of the university’s innovation hub, a centre for creative thinking in 2023, President Emmerson Mnangagwa directed the urgent rehabilitation of the hospital.
Masvingo Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa, said the upgrading was well on course.
“I have been assured by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Aspect Maunganidze that we are on course. We will meet the deadline because the principals want to see this project to fruition, not only from the health side but also from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development,” he said.
Dr Pazvakavambwa said they were also working as a province to assist the university to attract specialists in the health field to the province.
He said they had devised some strategies and would assist in the best way they can.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care, Masvingo provincial health administrator, Samson Nyoni, said they were working on the upgrading of rooms for the junior doctors, water reticulation and the upgrading of wards.
“The upgrading is very dynamic; we have been given funds to do it gradually. Currently, we are working on the core rooms for the junior doctors of which five are complete and works are in progress and it’s around 65 percent complete. We are also doing water upgrading. We had issues of water shortages at our referral hospital; they are also attending to that.
“Recently we had a new drug store room which is so spacious from what we had. We are also looking at upgrading the wards. On Monday I was at the hospital, the contractor is on site and they have gone around 45 percent in terms of sprucing up the wards.”
New Ziana
