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By Elvis Dumba
Kutama – Zvimba South Constituency legislator, Dr. Philip Chiyangwa has facilitated the upgrade of formerly Catholic Bishops run Father O’hea Mission Hospital to a general hospital.
The 120-bed mission hospital, which was one of the best hospitals in Zvimba District and was the first institution to provide HIV treatment services that included CD4 Count tests, had deteriorated in standard and services due to lack of financial support following the withdrawal of the catholic church in its affairs forcing the mission hospital to rely on well-wishers.
Dr. Chiyangwa approved the Ministry of Health and Child Care, which has since taken over ownership of the health institution.
Ministry of Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Dr. John Mangwiro and ministry officials toured the hospital on Monday, where he announced that the hospital was now fully owned by the government.
“We have come to look at the hospital, which used to be run by missionaries who have since pulled out, and as government, we have taken over the affairs of the hospital. We have seen it fit to upgrade the hospital to a general hospital and on this tour, we saw that a lot of renovations is needed and my Ministry has availed fifty million dollars and work starts now,” he said in an interview during the tour.
Dr. Mangwiro said the upgrade of the hospital will help de-congest Harare hospitals as the hospital will offer health specialists, and he appealed to Zvimba Rural District Council for land for the provision of staff accommodation and hospital expansion.
“The upgrade of this hospital from a rural mission hospital to a general hospital which will be equipped by state of the art medical facilities as well as specialist medical personnel will help to de-congest Parirenyatwa and Harare Hospitals since it’s near Harare and the Hospital is now known as Father O’hea General Hospital. ” Dr. Mangwiro revealed.
Dr. Mangwiro proposed the establishment of a nurse training school at the hospital.
“A proposal to establish a primary health care nurse training school has been made, and the school will benefit the local community. As a ministry, we no longer expect medical personnel to travel to Harare for training upgrade but the training will be done at their health stations,” he said.
” The biggest challenge for the hospital which we witnessed is water change as there is no water and the local member of parliament, Dr. Chiyangwa, has promised to ensure that the hospital gets water as a matter of urgency. There is a river nearby and Dr Chiyangwa will see to it that water is brought to the institution,” he added.
During the tour, Dr. Mangwiro, who was visibly angry over the hospital’s state, gave a stern warning to the hospital staff over the outlook of the hospital, which he described as dirty for a health facility. The minister came face to face with broken doors, lights, and dirty floors as well as porous revenue collection systems and directed that all broken doors and ceilings be renovated by Friday and said he will be returning to see the progress.
Dr Chiyangwa said he has been donating medicines to the clinic but they were being abused due to a lack of proper management mechanism.
“We received reports that some of the things were being stolen from this institution, including medicines that I have been bringing for the hospital, but now I hope things will improve after the Ministry of Health and Child Care took over the hospital following engagements I had with them following concerns from the community,” he said.
Dr. Chiyangwa, who was accompanied by Dexter Taurai Malinganiso, who recently won the right to represent ZANU PF as a member of parliament candidate in the party primary election that was recently held recently, said the community will have to join in the work of renovating the hospital.
“The community will also need to come on board and work together with the incoming member of parliament, Dexter Malinganiso, to ensure that the renovations of the institution are done quickly so that the community gets world-class health services,” he said.
Dr. Chiyangwa pledged furniture and television sets for the establishment of a hospital canteen and wards.
Father O’hea Mission Hospital was established in 1991 by Catholic Jesuits Community and is located a stone’s throw away from former President Robert Mugabe’s Zvimba rural home. President Mugabe was a patron of the hospital at its establishment.