Allegations surface against Lupane District Chief Medical Officer for misuse of authority and decline in hospital services

Lupane District Chief Medical Officer, George Mutizira, has come under scrutiny following allegations that he has contributed to the decline in service delivery at St. Luke's Hospital. It is claimed that Mutizira has been directing patients to his private surgery, located at Lupane Centre, for medication, amid reports of severe shortages at the hospital.

Community members have expressed their surprise, noting that while St. Luke's Hospital is struggling with a lack of medication, Mutizira's private health facility is well-stocked. Some even report that patients treated at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo have purchased their medication from Mutizira's surgery.

Historically, St. Luke's Hospital has been regarded as one of the best health facilities in the region, offering better care than some referral hospitals in Bulawayo. However, since Mutizira's arrival and the opening of his private facility at Lupane Centre, the hospital's standards appear to have dropped.

A community member, speaking anonymously, explained: "The problem we have here is that community members are now suffering in terms of access to medication at St. Luke's. When people go there, they are checked and given prescriptions, but the hospital pharmacy has nothing. They are then referred to Lupane Medical Centre, a surgery owned by the Chief District Medical Officer. Whatever you are prescribed, you have to buy it from his surgery."

The community member went on to raise questions about the ethical implications of a doctor operating a hospital while also referring patients to his private clinic for medication, asking, "Does the government allow such practices in the medical field?"

Further concerns were raised about the availability of medications at Mutizira's surgery. One community member shared, "You will see people with patients at Mpilo Hospital going to buy medication from Mutizira's surgery. Last year, my brother was sick and admitted at Mpilo Hospital, and I went to buy medication from there."

Additionally, a local clinic under Mutizira's administration has been reportedly referring patients to his private surgery for medication, raising further doubts about the allocation of hospital supplies. "Since he opened his medical centre in Lupane, the hospital started running out of medication. What is happening to the hospital supplies?" questioned another concerned community member.

The community has also raised alarms about the doctor's apparent misuse of the hospital's stamp for approving paperwork at his private clinic. "People are being given medical reports from his private clinic that are stamped with St. Luke's Hospital's stamp, making it appear as if they were treated there. Some of these reports are used in criminal cases, leading to wrongful convictions," said another local resident.

Efforts to obtain comment from Dr. George Mutizira were unsuccessful.