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Chiwenga commissions 'beerhall' turned into hospital

by Staff reporter
07 Oct 2021 at 07:00hrs | Views
VICE PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga Wednesday commissioned the opening of a former Kwekwe City Council beerhall in the populous high-density suburb of Mbizo that has been turned into an infectious diseases hospital.

The hospital was built at a cost of $16,9 million.

Chiwenga, who also doubles as the Health Minister said the 25-bed hospital facility is a critical infrastructure in fighting, not only the deadly Covid-19 pandemic but other infectious diseases.

"It is my great pleasure to be amongst the people of Midlands today where we are gathered for the official opening of the Kwekwe Infectious Diseases Hospital," he said.

"Indeed, this is a critical Infrastructure in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. I am pleased with this development, which is worth emulating and replicating in all provinces as we strive to contain the spread of the pandemic and other infectious diseases.

The new Kwekwe Hospital

"By so doing, I have no doubt that such medical infrastructural developments will contribute significantly to the attainment of an empowered upper-middle-income society by 2030."

In 2019, the MDC-led Kwekwe City Council resolved to convert the Garandichauya Beerhall, which was opened in the 1970s selling mostly cheap opaque beer, into an infectious diseases hospital.

The construction of the hospital was funded through government availed devolution funds and from the local council's coffers at a total cost of $16,9 million.

Said Chiwenga; "This project was wholly funded by the Government of Zimbabwe using devolution funds. I would like to commend the able leadership of the Midlands Provincial Taskforce that saw it fit for the Kwekwe community to benefit from the construction of this infectious diseases hospital, the first in the Kwekwe City.

"The facility will not only cater for Covid-19 patients but all other infectious diseases that the Kwekwe community would suffer from. We all have a collective responsibility to improve the quality of life of our people through the infrastructural facilities."

Source - NewZimbabwe