The Sunday News
THE Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa on Thursday last week announced new boards for Bulawayo hospitals, Mpilo, Ingutsheni and United Bulawayo Hospitals obviously with a mandate to improve operations at the three institutions.
The boards are headed by some of the outstanding residents of the City of Kings and Queens with the new Mpilo board chaired by Sichelesile Ncube, the director of information at EATC Group of Colleges and includes Dr Goodness Msimanga, Siqokoqela Mphoko, Engineer Hudson Hlabangana, Prince Kunaka, Dr Nomathemba Ndiweni and the hospital’s chief executive officer, Dr Lawrence Mantiziba.
The Ingutsheni board is chaired by Sandra Gumbo and has among its ranks, High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha, Cynthia Chasokela, Earnest Shora, Cephas Mweyamweya and the institution’s chief executive officer, Leanard Mabhande while the new UBH board is led by Francis Chitehwe, a corporate insurance broker, Kudakwashe Mutsindi, Sakhile Sibanda, Nestai Matienga, Dr Chad Tarumbwa and the hospital’s chief executive officer, Nonhlanhla Ndlovu.
Announcing the appointments, Dr Parirenyatwa said the main purpose of the boards was to administer the Health Service Fund, sourcing funds for the institutions, enforcing Government polices as well as borrowing money as may be empowered by the minister.
While we welcome the new board members and wish them all the best, we would like to quickly remind them that the mandate they have accepted is not child’s play. They are taking over the running of these three crucial hospitals in the country’s second largest city at a time when the institutions are suffering from resource constraints due to the economic situation caused by sanctions the country is reeling under, which has resulted in the poor performance of the economy.
At the moment the hospitals are facing a plethora of problems ranging from drug shortages, ageing equipment and shortage of staff. This is despite the fact that the Government on its part has over the years poured in billions of dollars to the health sector. However, that has not been enough as besides the shortage of drugs and brain drain, the country also has to grapple with the issue of HIV and Aids that has been a challenge to the health sector.
The cost of health care is now beyond the reach of many and patients cannot afford to buy drugs, some of which they are told to buy for themselves because they would not be available at the hospitals’ pharmacies, the quality of food we are told is also poor because of the tight budgets.
It is against this background that we seek to advice the new board members that they need to think outside the box and come up with solutions to problems that are facing the public health sector. We believe in appointing them the minister chose the right people who will move the health sector in Bulawayo to another level.
Over the years residents have complained that there is corruption at the hospitals with stories that some officials are conniving with suppliers to overcharge the health institutions. There has also been the issue of negligence pointed towards nurses and doctors. We believe these are some of the issues that the new boards should deal with.
Although the performance of hospitals is defined according to the achievement of specific targets, that either maybe clinical or administrative, we also take this opportunity to call on the people of Bulawayo and the rest of the country not to leave everything to the administrators and Government, they should chip and assist in the country’s health delivery system. Business and churches should come on board and assist.
We also want to remind the new boards that the functions of hospitals are changing from in-patient care to community outreach programmes and that there is also the issue of social and employment functions that hospitals play in communities. We believe that in the event the hospitals are looking for general hands to take care of menial tasks, there is no need to look far.
