Cancer patients left to die as Trauma centre shuts down

TWENTY-FIVE children who were being treated of cancer free of charge at the Trauma Centre Medical Facility in Harare were left stranded as the institution shuts down following a Supreme Court ruling last month against his ownership claims.

The closer of the hospital which was bankrolled by Musha Mukadzi, Zimbabwe Armed Forces Foundation (MMZAF) paved way for African Medical Investments (AMI) to assume ownership.

MMZAFF chairperson Mrs Mary Chiwenga, last week said the closure of Trauma Centre was a major setback as their charity did not know where to take patients who benefited under their charity organisation.

She said although Dr Solanki was opening another clinic in Borrowdale, it was small and could not cater for all the patients.

Dr Solanki's departure has seen the institution being closed, leaving at least 150 employees jobless with the new owners said to be looking for a buyer to purchase the hospital.

In an interview, Dr Solanki on Friday said he was waiting for municipality approval to open his clinic in Borrowdale, but said the closure of Trauma Centre had forced him to shelve some of his charity work.

Although Dr Solanki claimed ownership of the institution, Sable Mining - who are the winning tenant - said Dr Solanki was only a tenant when AMI brought in US$10 million as capital to construct the centre into a state-of-the-art institution.