Mpilo dismisses claims on 'condemned' private ward

MPILO Central Hospital has rubbished claims that the much anticipated private ward was condemned by Government inspectors saying they are waiting for grading from the responsible authorities so that they open the ward.

There were allegations that the private ward which should have been opened early this year was condemned by inspectors, but the hospital's clinical director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya clarified the matter.

"We were not condemned but the body that inspects private wards and gives status said if we wanted to be 'A' grade we had to improve on certain areas and we are doing just that not to say we were condemned," he said.

Dr Ngwenya said the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AFHoZ), the body that gives a private ward status inspected the private ward and certified that it was fine.

They, however, said if Mpilo needed to get the highest grade they had to pipe oxygen to each bed and also have an en suite in one cubicle.

"The en suite for one private room that we have is actually being worked on by the public works department and the piping of oxygen is underway, so as soon as it is complete we will open and that is early this year because everything else is in place," he said.

Dr Ngwenya said they could have opened the private ward earlier but the fact that they wanted to get the highest grade would see them wait and improve on the specifications required by AHFoZ.

The cost of a night in the private ward is dependent upon the grading system used by AHFoZ and Dr Ngwenya said he was not privy to the cost as yet.

The new ward has a carrying capacity of between 22 and 28 patients at a time. It is equipped with modern fittings and patients can enjoy warm showers unlike the general wards of the hospital. The clinical director said the diet would also be a lot more different from the rest of the hospital.

The ward (B6) was initially adopted by Holiday Inn hotel of Bulawayo, and needed a major overhaul. Renovations at the ward started in May of 2013 and these included replacement of the wooden flooring with vinyl, painting, refurbishment of sluice rooms, and rehabilitation of the drainage system as well as partitioning of the ward.

The hospital authorities then realised they could do more from what the hotel had done and introduce a private ward and they further upgraded it to suit a private ward status after Holiday Inn handed it over in February 2014.

Dr Ngwenya said the medical staff that would work in the new ward have already been trained to attend to the patients. He assured the public that the cost was not going to be extravagant as they are interested in bringing quality service to the people of Bulawayo and beyond.

The hospital authorities said the income generated from the new ward would in future be used to upgrade the rest of the hospital that was in dire need of refurbishment.

The chairman for the Bulawayo Urban Residents Association (Bura), Mr Winos Dube, said the new private ward was a step in the right direction.

"This shows development of the hospital and also that they are moving towards generating their own funds and are not relying on the Government alone. We are happy as residents," he said.

However, he said they wanted to see the whole hospital being upgraded so that the general public can benefit. He further said stakeholders that were interested should aid the hospital so as to improve its status in the region.