The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu Senior Reporter
CENTRAL hospitals in the country are operating on shoestring budgets as Government failed to meet their proposals for the 2015 budget, a situation that has crippled some of the critical areas in these institutions, Sunday News can reveal. Investigations done prove that central hospitals in the country need at least $1 million per month for them to operate effectively yet Government allocated each of them about $500 000 for the past three months.
Ingutsheni Central Hospital in Bulawayo has the lowest running costs, with chief executive officer Dr Leonard Mabandi saying they require $275 000 per month.
“The hospital requires an average of $275 000 per month if we are to provide quality service. However, the prevailing economic environment has not spared us and we are finding it difficult,” he said.
Mpilo Central Hospital, which caters for Midlands, Matabeleland North and South provinces only received $560 000 from the budget.
Mpilo CEO Dr Lawrence Mantiziba confirmed this to the Sunday News.
“We sent a proposal of $13,5 million as our budget but we were allocated $560 000 only and this is not adequate at all,” he lamented.
Dr Mantiziba said on average the hospital required about $1 million to run effectively, but looking at the money they were allocated it was impossible to do so.
“What it means is that we are supposed to run this whole institution on $40 000 per month looking at the money we were given which is inadequate considering the nature of our work here. The funding is just not enough,” he said.
Dr Obadiah Moyo, the CEO of Chitungwiza Central Hospital, told delegates to a service delivery meeting organised by the Office of the President and Cabinet recently that his institution was running on a tight budget owing to the meagre allocations for 2015.
He said in 2014, they proposed $18,4 million but only got $1,4 million from Treasury. For 2015, they proposed $12,4 million but have only received $540 000.
Dr Moyo also said Chitungwiza needed at least $1 million per month for the hospital to carry out its mandate effectively.
“It is common knowledge that Government has no money. However, patients’s lives have to be sustained. In 2015 the hospital was allocated by Treasury a low figure of $540 000 for recurrent expenditure for the whole year when in fact, the hospital requires at least $1 million per month for recurrent expenditure. This, therefore, leaves the hospital with no option but to engage innovative ideas in line with Zim Asset in order to stay afloat and survive,” Dr Moyo revealed to Sunday News yesterday.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care submitted a budget of $712 million for the 2014 fiscal year and received $337 million, inclusive of salaries. The allocation received was 47 percent of the submission, signifying a 11,6 percent decrease from the 2013 allocation.
The institutions that are funded by Government through the Ministry of Finance have over the years been failing to provide some of the most basic services as they do not have the resources due to the unavailability of funding.
Dr Mantiziba said they had, however, decided to supplement Government efforts through massive cost cutting measures and would open a new private ward in April this year.
“We have to supplement what we have and we are proud to say we are opening a private ward on 2 April 2015 and it will be our cash cow. This is one way that we believe could bring in some revenue,” said Dr Mantiziba.
The 28-bed private ward has undergone renovation and is expected to attract a number of patients once opened.
Mpilo has also partnered the corporate world in establishing gardens at the institution.
“We have various corporates on board who are assisting us in maintaining vegetable gardens. This means we are now able to grow our own vegetables that we serve to the patients. This has greatly cut costs as we no longer have to buy them from outside,” Dr Mantiziba said.
According to the CEO, Mpilo hospital is owed in excess of $15 million by debtors and they have engaged debt collectors to recover their money.
