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Mpilo, UBH hospitals to offer training facilities for student doctors

by Staff Reporter
04 Feb 2013 at 23:55hrs | Views
THE Government will soon equip Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals in Bulawayo to enable the two institutions to offer training facilities for student doctors, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, said.

Speaking in Bulawayo recently, Dr Mombeshora said the equipment would facilitate the training of medical doctors by the National University of Science and Technology's Faculty of Medicine.

Dr Mombeshora said the Government had already paid a deposit for the equipment from China.

"We want to open the Medical Training School at Nust so that we train locals who will work here in Bulawayo after training. We checked if Mpilo and UBH were equipped to give hands-on training and discovered that there is a need to re-equip the two institutions," said Dr Mombeshora.

He said before the end of the year, the two hospitals will be having state-of-the-art equipment to allow training of doctors.

"Very soon, we will be sending a team to China to finalise the purchase and shipment of equipment to enable the two hospitals to offer training facilities to student doctors," said Dr Mombeshora.

The deputy Minister said because of illegal sanctions, Government was finding it difficult to buy spare parts or replace some of the obsolete machinery at its health institutions.

"We cannot buy machinery for our hospitals from Europe because our money will immediately be frozen because of the sanctions imposed on us. That is why we have turned to our friends in China," he said.

The Faculty of Medicine at Nust, which started running in 2005, was closed in 2007 after the Health Professions Authority complained that its training facilities were below the minimum required standards.

Following its closure, more than 30 students who were enrolled there were transferred to the University of Zimbabwe in Harare.

It was, however, reopened last year and the Government wants to beef up equipment to improve the quality of training.

Meanwhile, Dr Mombeshora took a swipe at health staff especially at Mpilo Central Hospital following complaints by residents that they were ill treating patients.

"We have heard that our staff at Mpilo ill treats people while some doctors go to work drunk. We do not allow such behaviour. People should inform us whenever such things happen and we will take disciplinary measures against such workers.

"We want workers to know that life is important and if they do not want to work, they can go home and we will employ others," said Dr Mombeshora.

Source - TC
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