The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
MINISTER of Health and Child Care, General (Retired) Dr Constantino Chiwenga has applauded Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the health sector saying they are bringing the much-needed expertise and positive development in the country.
He said this on Friday morning during a graduation ceremony of 34 nurses at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo.
The 34 nurse graduates include nine Operating Theatre Nurses and 15 Intensive Care and Coronary Nurses.
“We are gathered here to witness a product of a Public Private Partnership initiated by the government of Zimbabwe as we move the economy towards achieving an upper middle-income society by 2030.
“Government took a stance to adopt PPPs under which Mater Dei Hospital was called to partner government through technology transfers. It is this spirit of PPPs that we are here today at this important occasion contributing to the wellness and health as stated by the National Development Strategy 1,” said Dr Chiwenga.
He said the NDS1 is also aligned to the Sustainable Development Goal three which ensures healthy lives and promotes wellbeing for all ages.
Dr Chiwenga said he was cognisant of the challenges nurses in the private sector were faced with.
“We will look at the issue of incentives as mentioned by the hospital management board. It is the young generation that is the future of this country and therefore if we do not look after them and the older ones to impart their knowledge, we kill our society. I have heard all that you said and we will look into that to see what sort of incentives can be provided so that we all benefit,” he said
He said he was informed that Mater Dei Training School opened its doors to the one-year diploma courses of the ICU and Coronary Care and operating theater nursing programmes on 31 December 2018.
“So far, the institution has enrolled two groups of trainees, these students are enrolled form all over the country including Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, Shurugwi, Hwange, St Lukes, Masvingo, Gwanda, Tshelanyemba, Gweru, Beigtbridge and Kwekwe Hospitals to mention but a few.
Dr Chiwenga said the training of these nurses was introduced at the right time when the country had started losing specialists to other countries such as the United Kingdom, United States of America, Ireland, Australia, Canada and the region.
“As government we greatly appreciate the great stance taken by the hospital to compliment government efforts in increasing the annual specialist nurse output and address the critical shortages in health care. I extend my gratitude to the board of trustees, the management of Materdei Hospital and the Right Archbishop Alex Thomas and the Franciscan Missionary and the Divine Motherhood Sisters for supporting the opening and operations of the training school,” he said.
He further said President Emmerson Mnangagwa is committed to improving working conditions for the health sector.
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