The Sunday News
THE Bulawayo City Council has resolved to lease out Mahatshula Clinic after reportedly failing to equip it, despite the local authority having cancelled an initial lease in 2000 after claiming it wanted to run the health facility itself.
The clinic has been lying idle since 2000, when council cancelled the lease, with authorities citing lack of resources and staff to man it.
Confirming the recent development, the Mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, said the council has decided to lease it out as they could not just neglect a health facility and let it turn into a white elephant.
“We don’t have staff or the equipment to get that clinic running. Therefore, we cannot just let that facility turn into a white elephant because it has been lying idle since 2000; what we are saying is that there is a facility and what we have to do is look for someone to run it and pay rent to us.
“The reason we took the tender route is that we want the best possible individual or organisation to operate that facility so we ensure quality health delivery for Mahatshula,” said Clr Moyo.
Questioned on whether the local authority would lease out any other clinics in the city, Clr Moyo said it was mostly a matter of offering quality services.
“What we are saying is that we cannot just allow a facility to crumble because we want to hold on to it. If we have any other health facilities which are lying idle we will surely lease them out to the private sector,” said the Mayor.
According to a tender notice flighted in the local press on Tuesday, the council’s acting town clerk, Mrs Sikhangele Zhou, called on interested individuals and organisations within the medical fraternity to send in their tender documents by 22 October.
“Tenders are invited from the medical fraternity for the lease of Mahatshula Clinic. Viewing of premises will be conducted at 10am on the agreed dates when enquiries relating to the lease will be attended to.
“Council reserves the right to accept or reject any tender. The highest or any tender shall not be necessarily accepted, tenders will be opened in public after closing time 10am on 22 October 2014,” read the notice.
Other clinics whose running costs the local authority is failing to meet are Pumula South and Lobengula, with the council having leased them out at one point but later cancelled the leases. The latest developments come hard on the heels of reports that the local authority is facing acute shortages of nurses with the establishment operating with a shortfall of 134, a situation that has hampered health delivery in the city.
