Manama Mission Hospital rehab to be complete in two weeks

REHABILITATION works at Manama Mission Hospital are expected to be completed within two weeks, before work to upgrade the hospital begins.

Sections of the hospital's critical buildings were extensively damaged by a storm on October 3.

The development is part of a host of measures, Government is rolling out to repair and modernise one of the major referral centres in Matabeleland South.

Manama Mission is facing a cocktail of challenges and already Government has committed $28 million to be spent on initial repairs and the upgrading of the health institution into a modern healthcare centre.

The hospital was built by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) in 1939 as part of its key facilities at its mission.

ELCZ Bishop for Western Diocese, Bishop Michael Dube yesterday said they had started receiving assistance from Government and various players to repair the facility.

"The storm disaster triggered a lot of enthusiasm from a number of people to offer their assistance in cash and in kind to the institution, especially those children who were educated at the mission's schools and some born at the mission hospital," he said.

"Fundraising groups have been formed all over the world and a substantial amount and materials donated. Among others, Allied Timbers of Bulawayo has donated roofing material for the rehabilitation of the hospital. We thus continue to recognise what the Government, the church, partners are doing in this project".

Seven Gwanda Prison inmates arrived at the hospital last Friday to help and they were seen clearing debris from the damaged buildings.

ELCZ pastor-in-charge of the Manama Mission, Reverend Alson Nkala said they expect to complete rehabilitating the damaged buildings in the next two weeks.

He said so far, they had received $5 million from Government through the Department of Public Works, which was being used to procure the necessary material to fix the damaged buildings.

He also said at the moment they had shifted men from the male to children's ward to pave way for women who were moved from the maternity and female wards.

"Expecting mothers have been moved to the dental buildings while others have been taken to the male ward. We expect to complete rehabilitating the damaged buildings in the next two weeks. We can then start with the upgrading of the whole institution," said Rev Nkala.

He said when disaster struck the maternity ward had five mothers who had just delivered and one who was in labour but were protected from harm by the building's ceiling.

Rev Nkala said the 82-year-old hospital was operating without doctors and needed three medical doctors to operate at full strength.

He said they need to urgently resuscitate the mortuary and require at least two more ambulances considering the current workload at the health institution.

Currently, the community relies on a private mortuary at Manama Business Centre.

"Due to the shortage of doctors, the two ambulances we are having have to transfer patients to Gwanda at least four times daily," said the Reverend.

According to a recent update report, by the church, most admissions at the hospital are linked to injuries related to assaults, road traffic accidents, pneumonia, scorpion stings, maternity deliveries, abortions, complicated malaria, hypertension, congestive cardiac failure, eye conditions -cataract and opportunistic infections.