The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu and Nontobeko Mlotshwa, Sunday News Reporters
BUSINESS leaders and the community at large should walk side by side with 39 Mpilo Central Hospital staffers that lost their belongings in the inferno that gutted the doctor’s quarters at the institution, an official has said.
The fire, which broke out last month at the Bulawayo hospital, is suspected to have started from an electrical distribution box at the residence before spreading through the building, leaving one occupant injured during escape while US$500 000 property was destroyed.
Speaking on the sidelines of the handing over of donations that were mobilised from different partners yesterday, Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Cde Raj Modi said Bulawayo should rally behind the doctors as they tried to get their lives back on track. Government has already set aside $288 million to facilitate repairs of the doctors’ flats.
“I want the doctors to know that they’re not walking alone and we are there side by side with them through this difficult time. Government is already doing a lot to alleviate their plight and we would like the community to augment its efforts and make sure that, even though things are hard for doctors, we must make the recovery period easier for them,” he said.
Mpilo Central Hospital operations director Mr Joel Charangwa said the donations would address some of the needs of the doctors.
“The things that we are getting today are speaking directly to the needs of the doctors and that is supposed to make our life easier as we go forward. We are here to just collect donations made by our partners and we hope more is coming,” he said.
The donations included, for each doctor, a gas tank, a set of pots, blanket, plastic dish, sanitisers, face masks, doctors’ scrubs and groceries which included bathing soaps, cooking oil, sugar, mealie-meal, rice, green bar, tea leaves, powdered milk and a case of soft drinks.
Dr Misheck Ruwende who represented the doctors said they are very grateful for the donations that they have received.
“We are very grateful for the support and love that has been shown. A helping hand that has seen us getting basic needs for survival in these hard times,” he said.
