Staff Reporter
Government has set aside ZW$287 million for the rehabilitation of Doctors’ houses at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo following a fire outbreak that razed down doctors’ quarters last week.
Speaking at a post Cabinet media briefing in Harare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Government is still investigating the cause of the fire that gutted down doctors’ residence at Mpilo Hospital last Wednesday.
“Cabinet wishes to assure the citizenry that the fire outbreak at Mpilo Hospital which gutted the Doctors’ Residence is being investigated, while relief measures are instituted. This is the second time within three years that the hospital’s hostel has been gutted by fire,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
The Minister added that Government had so far provided accommodation, clothing, toiletries and food to the affected people since the disaster occurred.
Minister Mutsvangwa said Government has pledged ZW$287 million to construct nurses and doctors quarters and has already started the process of providing identity documents to those who lost them in the inferno.
“Birth certificates and identity cards have been issued to all those in hotel accommodation and passports will be issued at the Registry Office. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has pledged ZW$287 million for the construction of single quarters and separate canteens for nurses and doctors as well as married quarters,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
About 39 health personnel were forced to vacate their place of residence at Mpilo hospital when a fire broke out, the third in three years, and razed the nurses and doctors quarters at the hospital. Property worth over US$500 000 was destroyed with many people left with nothing to their name.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr John Mangwiro, visited the hospital last week to assess the level of the damage and has since arranged for the affected families to be accommodated at Bulawayo Polytechnic while other measures to restore their lives to normalcy are still being worked on.
