Government has embarked on a massive rehabilitation
programme for public health institutions in a development expected to result in
a marked improvement in standards and the availability of critical health
services, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo has said.
He said the programme, which is going to be implemented in partnership
with private players provided for under the 2015 Joint Ventures Act, will
initially target central hospitals, after which similar joint ventures will
cascade down to other health institutions throughout the country.
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Mpilo Central Hospital and
United Bulawayo Hospitals have since invited bidders interested in partnering
them in refurbishing and re-equipping various sections of the hospitals.
Successful firms or groups will also operate a
super-specialty hospital wing within each institution.
“We want to make sure that the healthcare facilities are of
very high level, providing first-class service. We want to make sure that our
customers access affordable services, which is also within easy reach so we
want to make sure that all the facilities are all rehabilitated.
“Our facilities had gone for a long time without going
major rehabilitation and at the same time we also need to replenish all the
institutions with medicine, surgical sundries so that it make sense,” said Dr
Moyo.
“For us to be able to tackle all these problems, as a
Government and on our own, we cannot be able to fulfil it, that is why you here
the Zimbabwe is open for business mantra and this is not just in other
industries, it includes the healthcare industry as well.”
Dr Moyo said the super-specialty hospitals are meant to
mitigate the burden of patients travelling outside the country seeking these
services. He said in that regard, Government was seeking to partner with
investors with financial capability as well as that expertise for specialty
services to impart to local professionals.
“So it is not just a matter of partners for the sake of
partners. It’s partners who have the capability to train our people, who can be
able to set up all the relevant high quality set up in our institutions,” said
Dr Moyo.
Dr Moyo said this latest development is an improvement of
the Chitungwiza Central Hospital model in which institutions provide services
for those who can afford and those who cannot afford but using the same
facilities.
“Chitungwiza Central Hospital has already been running that
type of joint venture partnerships (JVP) and that is what has made the hospital
survive but obviously, we also realised that we also have to improve the
working arrangement with our partners,” said Dr Moyo.
He said already some investors have shown interest in partnering
Government in this initiative with some projects already at an advanced stage
of implementation.
“And already we have had some responses for Parirenyatwa
Hospital, there are some foreign investors who have shown some interest. We are
just waiting to finalise that.
“UBH has already entered into some other arrangements in
orthopaedic services and they are at a very advanced stage,” he said. Herald
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