By Tinotenda Afarasi
President Mnangagwa has challenged companies operating in Zimbabwe to complement the Government’s efforts of transforming infrastructure, particularly related to healthcare delivery.
The President said this while officially commissioning the Mhondoro Hospital Projects funded by Zimbabwe’s largest platinum miner, Zimplats, in Mhondoro recently.
At Mhondoro-Mubaira Hospital, Zimplats, through its corporate social responsibility programme, constructed and equipped a new theatre, staff accommodation and laundry facility.
A borehole was also drilled while the maternity ward was refurbished and equipped, among various other works.
President Mnangagwa said such interventions are most appreciated and “will go a long way towards enhancing access by our communities to quality health services and our country’s targets for achieving Universal Health Coverage”.
“I congratulate the board and management of Zimplats for the job well done,” he said.
“As we appreciate this generous gesture by Zimplats, I want to challenge other private sector companies to take a leaf from the outstanding work we are witnessing here today.
“To this end, the Second Republic welcomes private-public partnerships which complement my Government’s efforts towards strengthening our health delivery system and increasing the spread of our health facilities across provinces and districts.
“As a result of financing such facilities, Zimplats is among the leading private sector companies in transferring knowledge, technology, and capacity building in our health sector through such private-public sector initiatives.”
Apart from the projects implemented by Zimplats at Mhondoro Hospital, the company has several other projects dome in other provinces, which are critical building blocks for improving the overall quality of people’s lives.
In addition, Zimplats has rolled out impactful community wellness interventions under its Local Enterprise Development Programme.
President Mnangagwa said such activities attest to the company’s clear vision and commitment to community development, anchored on healthy population and productive societies.
“Going forward, Zimplats are encouraged to stay the course through its Local Enterprise Programme to develop more innovative programmes that guarantee world class health facilities.
“In doing so, interventions in the health system must incorporate people’s needs and priorities, while complementing the thrust of the devolution and decentralisation agenda, which we are championing as the Second Republic.
“To further help accelerate the achievement of outcomes of universal health coverage, stakeholders in the health and pharmaceutical sector must also develop and adopt supply chains that are responsive to community needs and the overall national development ethos,” said the President.
He urged communities to remain alive to the need to maintain healthy lifestyles, exercising, eating well and good personal hygiene.
The commissioning of the Mubaira Hospital Projects, came soon after Zimbabwe joined the world in celebrating the World Health Day, held under the theme: “Health for All’.
The launch of the projects also came barely a week after commissioning another health facility, the Muduvuri Pan-African Referral Hospital in Kadoma.
“These projects attest to the importance of public-private partnerships in our quest to realise health and the overall well-being of our people as outlined in our constitution and the National Development Strategy.
“I commend Zimplats for being a consistent partner in the implementation of policies, programmes and projects undertaken by the Second Republic.
“I recall that in 2018 and 2020, I was at Kadoma General Hospital and Gutu Hospital, respectively, to commission and handover projects facilitated by Zimplats,” said the President.
The Government, he said, remains committed to scale up responsive measures towards ensuring efficient and quality service delivery in the health sector.
The measures include building and upgrading health facilities across Zimbabwe to ensure equitable access and reduction of walking distance by the people, especially in rural areas.
Government is scaling up health worker training by increasing the number of training schools as well as the intake of trainees.
Primary Care Nurse training has since been re-introduced.
President Mnangagwa also commended village health workers, who are in the frontline of health delivery in rural areas.
He added that the acquisition of ambulances, medical consumables, drugs and other accessories, is ongoing.
Additionally, solar systems for power back-up have been installed in over 1 000 health facilities throughout the country.
