Minister applauds workers for maintaining Ekusileni

BULAWAYO Provincial Affairs minister Judith Ncube commended Ekusileni Hospital staff for maintaining the institution under tough conditions.

She said this when she was handing over a donation comprising refrigerators from Capri and ICU beds from IAM4BYO Fighting Covid Trust in a bid to fully kit the hospital.

Ncube said she was proud of staff at Ekusileni Hospital, mobilising resources and improving the state of the health facility.

"I want to give respect to IAM4BYO the public relations you have makes us proud and the transparency approach gives you dignity and credibility, maintain that," she said.

Ncube said some people were decent crooks who pretended to help look for funds yet they never live up to their promises.

"There are some people, l am told elsewhere, who would go around sourcing funds for us, but we have not received anything from them but as for IAM4BYO, l am so happy because we have moved some kilometres because of them," Ncube said.

"As l always say, provincial clinical director, there is nothing that beats working together as a family, once we develop that culture there is a lot that we can achieve, divided we shall all perish but working together as a family, as Bulawayo, there is a lot that we can achieve."

Ncube said she was proud of isolation centres despite the fact that they were not yet complete.

"Our hospitals, Ekusileni and Thorngrove, are beautiful institutions and l am really proud to be part of these two.

"Talk of UBH and Mpilo Central Hospital, there are some changes there, let's be proud of what we are having and let’s maintain that no matter how little, it's enough and we can develop these institutions to a better standard and l know we can achieve that," she said.

She said President Emmerson Mnangagwa urged the public to work with Zimbabweans returning from neighbouring countries to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"As I was raising concerns with the President yesterday that our neighbours are no longer testing people who are coming in the country, what is going to happen?

"I think we need to put in place certain measures and he said: ‘Minister there is nothing that we can do for now except if we tell ourselves that those are part of us' .

"We cannot force our neighbours to do what they do not feel like doing.

"If our brothers and sisters are coming back they need our support, let's stand ready and make sure that our systems are perfect so that when they come back they will find us ready.

"Hence we have to accommodate them the best way possible," Ncube said.

"Let's do our best so that when they come they will find the place looking good and friendly, so, l want to say thank you so much to our donors and the staff at Ekusileni for doing us proud. We also thank God for hearing our prayers concerning the water issue; we were now in a very awkward situation as a city. Now that we have water, let's then shift our focus on improving our hospitals."

Ncube said she was aware that they had been postponing the official opening of the isolation centres, but it was because they were not ready and they wanted to make sure they open when everything would be in order.