Local platinum mining giant, Zimplats has committed more than $1 million towards equipping and renovating Kadoma District Hospital.
The hospital has already undergone a major facelift, courtesy of platinum mining giant.
Works are expected to be completed by the third week of this month before the project can be handed over to the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
The scope of the work carried out include water augmentation, re-painting of the hospital buildings, upgrading of the cause way and provision of equipment for the theatre ward, among others.
Zimplats Head of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Busi Chindove said the company had initially budgeted $1 million for the project, but had to top up after realising that there was more work to be done.
Kadoma Hospital Medical Superintended, Dr Frankson Masiye admitted that the institution, which had become an eyesore, has been transformed. He said the working environment has now significantly improved and will boost the morale of staff.
Meanwhile, Zimplats is working on a project to rehabilitate Kadoma General Hospital in a bid to improve healthcare delivery at one of the major referral hospitals in the country, Kadoma is one of the institutions built in the pre-independence era, delivering healthcare services to patients in Kadoma urban, Mhondoro and Sanyati rural districts. It has a bed capacity of 200 and an average admissions rate of 150 patients per day.
The general hospital is located in Mashonaland West Province and it has been unable to carry out basic maintenance over the years. This has compromised its ability to carry out its basic mandate of providing quality healthcare to its patients. Major areas of concern are the ablution facilities and water reticulation system which if left unattended, can be a hazard to the health of patients.
This intervention aligns itself to the expectations of government for mining companies to participate in the national economic and social reform agenda. Healthcare delivery is a specific focus area targeted for improvement by the new government administration and provides an avenue for Zimplats to demonstrate care and relevance. It is an opportunity to play a role in enhancing the delivery of health service.
In recent years, economic decline has led to a reduction in health-care budgets, affecting service provision at all levels. Health service delivery is one of the most visible building blocks of any health system and this is reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals which advocate for good health and well-being.
The new government, as stated in the 2017 National Budget, is focusing on high impact measures whose key focus is strengthening service delivery with the support of development partners. Zimplats is therefore guided by this vision and its values in its efforts to assist Kadoma General Hospital.
It is against this background and within the context of private sector involvement in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals that Zimplats has embarked on a project to renovate Kadoma General Hospital which is the second largest hospital in Mashonaland West Province.
“Water supply was a major issue at the hospital with the hospital having experienced more than a decade of erratic water supplies. Amongst various other improvements which are still in the pipeline at the hospital, Zimplats has managed to restore supply of water to the institution.
“Two boreholes with capacity to meet the hospital’s portable water needs have been drilled and equipped. Repairs to ablutions and sewer facilities are 60% complete with some public ablutions that had been non-functional since 2005 now commissioned for use,” said Zimplats.
