Joshua Nkomo's brainchild might suffer still birth because of 'greed'

Parliamentary portfolio committee on Health chairperson, Ruth Labode, Wednesday said Ekusileni Medical Health Centre - a brainchild of the late vice-president Joshua Nkomo - might suffer a still birth because of "greed" if government does not stamp its foot  to make sure  the $4 million institution opens its doors to the public.

Constructed in 2000 by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) to fulfill the late Nkomo's dream of a health institution that would serve the country and the region, the hospital was briefly opened in 2004 before being closed down after it was discovered that it had obsolete equipment.

The National Health Care Trust Zimbabwe (NHTZ), which is currently renting the premises, has made several announcements for the opening of the 265-bed hospital situated at the corner of Cecil Avenue and Old Esogidini Road in Bulawayo's Hillside suburb.

Labode, who was part of a delegation that recently toured several health institutions in the city, including Ekusileni Hospital, said the institution had been turned into a white elephant because of greed, "where people just sit upon the project and do nothing".

"I think greed is killing this whole project and government should stamp its foot down for the success of this project because it has taken more than 10 years for it to start operating.

"NSSA has 100% ownership in the infrastructure as it constructed it (the hospital) single handedly. The NHTZ promised to raise $12m towards the hospital infrastructure, but up to now they are failing to raise that amount," she said.

"They still want to be part of the shareholding when in actual fact they have contributed nothing to the project. They have been told to sale their shareholding, but they are still holding on to it, it's counterproductive."

NSSA constructed the hospital as an investment vehicle using pension funds and pledged $6m towards equipment that is to be used at the hospital with the hope that NHTZ would chip in with $12m, but has since committed nothing.

"In principle, they should not have any shares because they have not contributed anything.

"I don't think Nkomo ever wanted this hospital to be privately-owned because it will make medical services unreachable if there were to be private players, the services will be beyond the reach of the poor, contrary to his vision that everyone should access affordable medication," she said.

Last month, Public Service and Social Welfare minister Nicholas Goche promised that the hospital would be opened this month.

Contacted for comment, a representative of the NHTZ, Daud Dube, said the hospital would open as they were close to finishing the rehabilitation process.

"We have been doing the rehabilitation process for the past 10 years and we are close to finishing and very soon we will be opening," he said without specifying the actual dates.