News / Local
Relief for Mpilo cancer patients
09 Oct 2020 at 10:04hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT has approved the release of US$55 000 towards repair of malfunctioning cancer machines at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo.
This was confirmed by Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro yesterday.
Mangwiro said government had already approved payment to be made towards fixing the cancer machines and the paperwork was being processed.
"The US$55 000 needed for the machines is already there, and it is still being processed," Mangwiro said.
"I know I promised that by the end of September, it would all be done, but now the processes just took too long. We are talking about money that is already there and the machines will be up and running in no time just like the ones here in Harare."
He said the cancer machines in Harare were already working and government would make sure that the ones at Mpilo Hospital were also working as soon as the payment has been processed.
"For Parirenyatwa Hospital, both big and small cancer machines are now working but the ones at Mpilo need some small amount of money," Mangwiro said.
He had previously said the machines at Mpilo Hospital, which broke down around August, were waiting for engineers from Switzerland but the hospital managed to engage engineers from South Africa.
He also said that local people had been trained to repair the machines and save on foreign currency.
"The machines were always breaking down because there was no service contract which had been done, but things have been sorted out now.
"There will be people who will be servicing the machines here. The servicemen from South Africa have trained our own local people so that we continue to service them.
"With time, we need to get newer ones because these ones were bought in 2012, so we are going to get new ones because the population is also getting big," Mangwiro said.
Before the Parirenyatwa machines were repaired, Zimbabwe only had one functional radiotherapy machine which was at Mpilo Central Hospital, a development that left the institution struggling to cope with demand for the services of the lifesaving machine.
This was confirmed by Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro yesterday.
Mangwiro said government had already approved payment to be made towards fixing the cancer machines and the paperwork was being processed.
"The US$55 000 needed for the machines is already there, and it is still being processed," Mangwiro said.
"I know I promised that by the end of September, it would all be done, but now the processes just took too long. We are talking about money that is already there and the machines will be up and running in no time just like the ones here in Harare."
He said the cancer machines in Harare were already working and government would make sure that the ones at Mpilo Hospital were also working as soon as the payment has been processed.
"For Parirenyatwa Hospital, both big and small cancer machines are now working but the ones at Mpilo need some small amount of money," Mangwiro said.
He had previously said the machines at Mpilo Hospital, which broke down around August, were waiting for engineers from Switzerland but the hospital managed to engage engineers from South Africa.
He also said that local people had been trained to repair the machines and save on foreign currency.
"The machines were always breaking down because there was no service contract which had been done, but things have been sorted out now.
"There will be people who will be servicing the machines here. The servicemen from South Africa have trained our own local people so that we continue to service them.
"With time, we need to get newer ones because these ones were bought in 2012, so we are going to get new ones because the population is also getting big," Mangwiro said.
Before the Parirenyatwa machines were repaired, Zimbabwe only had one functional radiotherapy machine which was at Mpilo Central Hospital, a development that left the institution struggling to cope with demand for the services of the lifesaving machine.
Source - newsday
