Manama Mission Hospital in Matabeleland South district is receiving some long-overdue special attention, with the government committing $28 million to restore the health centre’s outdated infrastructure.
A strong storm recently wrecked several of the hospital’s structures. One major source of concern is a malfunctioning morgue, which has forced locals to rely on traditional techniques to preserve the remains of their departed relatives.
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Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro observed the malfunctioning mortuary and other areas requiring improvement during a hospital visit on Tuesday.
Manama Mission Hospital’s present state
He described it as unexpected for the hospital, which he described as “one of Matabeleland South’s key referral centers.”
Dr. Blessed Gwarimbo, the Gwanda district medical officer, said the morgue required new refrigerators and cooler rooms. He added that attempts to fix the refrigerators had been undertaken, but they continued to develop flaws.
Villagers in the Gwanda South constituency who the hospital serves have resorted to storing the remains of their deceased relatives at their houses until they can be buried.
This procedure is said to be capable of preserving a body for two nights.
The locals explained that they used this strategy because they couldn’t afford the services of private funeral homes, which charge R400 each night for storage.
“This hospital has been running without a morgue for many years, leaving us with no other alternative than to establish our mortuaries in our own houses,” said Mr Promise Ncube of Matulungundu village in Ward 16.
A month after being demolished by high storms, the renovation of Manama Mission Hospital in Gwanda district, Matabeleland South region, has finally begun.
The government has given roughly $28 million to fund the hospital’s mortuary and maternity unit renovations.
Rudo Chikodzore, the provincial medical director of Matabeleland South, confirmed to Southern Eye Wednesday that building work had begun.
