Govt avails ZWL$10m for Kariba hospital x-ray
TICHAONA KATSVAMUTIMA IN KARIBA
Government has availed ZWL$10m to Kariba District Hospital to go towards the construction of an x-ray room, Business Times can report.
The hospital has been operating without an x-ray machine for the past three years after the one it had was destroyed by fire in 2019.
This affected the hospital’s capacity to handle casualties.
The hospital’s incapacity to handle casualties was exposed recently when an accident occurred in Kariba which claimed five people and injured 28. The injured were taken to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital for x-ray.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care Mashonaland West Acting Provincial medical director, Dr Gift Masocha, confirmed the hospital received ZWL$10m from the government.
He said that the construction of the x-ray room is expected to commence next month.
“As Kariba Hospital,we received sum funds amounting to ZWL$10m under government’s Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) projects to build x- ray room which was burnt down.
But we have since borrowed a small X- ray machine from Father Ohio Hospital in Kutama and we have already sent it to Kariba,” Masocha said .
Kariba Incorporated Area Residents, Ratepayers Association chairman, Samu Mawawu told Business Times that the hospital no longer meets the demand of the population considering it was built in the colonial era.
He said there was need for urgent intervention by the Government to rehabilitate the hospital to meet international standards.
“It’s sad for a hospital in the resort town where tourists flock in not to have an x-ray machine,” Mawawu said.
Dr Masocha said there were plans to relocate the hospital to Nyamhunga where it will be easily accessible.
“As Government we have plans to relocate the hospital and construct a new hospital in Nyamhunga high density suburb,” Dr Masocha said.
He added: “If you look at this hospital, it was built in the colonial era,and people are finding it difficult to go there as it was built in a mountainous area and there is wildlife there. So, the construction of a new hospital will increase the carrying capacity of patients.”
The Kariba district hospital has 48 beds and has to cater for a population of 33 000 in the resort town
