Health and Child Care minister Dr David Parirenyatwa says giant mining companies operating in Zimbabwe should consider investing in hospital infrastructure in margianalised areas so as to develop hospitals capacity at community level.
By Michael Gwarisa
Speaking during a tour of the newly refurbished Kadoma general hospital, minister Parirenyatwa applauded Zimplats for taking a giant step towards revamping the health institution and called on other companies to emulate the good works.
“We are here to look at this wonder which Zimplats has done. On the day of the handover, we shall invite the higher office to officially handover this centre. We will also invite other big mining companies so that they see how they are lagging behind maybe they come and be motivated to invested in health centres like Siakobvu where there are issued that need urgent attention.
“On the day of the handover day we will also appoint a board here at Kadoma general hospital,” said minister Parirenyatwa.
Zimplats has invested more than $1 million towards refurbishment od Kadoma general hospital and  the rehabilitation of the hsopital is 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.
