Zimbabwe: Serious Water, Doctor Shortages Hit Bindura Hospital

BINDURA provincial hospital is experiencing water problems and receives tap water for only two hours a day. This has compromised service delivery. Presenting the hospital's challenges to Deputy Prime Minister Thokhozani Khupe during a tour of
the hospital recently, health services administrator Mr Tonderai Nyahumira, said the first hour of supplies was in the morning and the other one in the evening.
"We have inadequate supply of water from the municipality. We have water two hours a day in the morning and in the evening. Throughout the day there will be no running water in the wards and at staff residents," Mr Nyahumira said.
Meanwhile, Bindura mayor Ivory Matanhire said the municipality was failing to cope with demand for water in the town, which has grown beyond the infrastructure.
Mayor Matanhire said water reticulation for Bindura was meant for 10 000 people but now the population had ballooned to 69 000 people.
She said the town had limited reservoirs to store water.

"We only have two reservoirs, which are inadequate to store water for the whole of Bindura," she said.
She said the town needed at least three reservoirs to be able to feed the whole town.
Continuing with his brief on the state of the hospital, Mr Nyahumira said the institution had a serious shortage of doctors.
He said the hospital had an establishment of 12 Government medical officers and seven consultant specialists. However, only three Government medical officers and two specialists were serving the120 bed provincial hospital.

Mr Nyahumira said financial challenges have also crippled service delivery at the institution.
He said since January this year, they have only received US$8 000 from Government.
"The institution is surviving from the health services fund, which is not adequate to meet the great demands of the hospital," he said.
Speaking after the tour, DPM Khupe said although the institution was still experiencing some problems, she was impressed by the improvement in the state of affairs compared to the 2009 period when she was last at the institution.

She pledged her commitment to continue sourcing for the hospital's needs.
She later donated blankets, wheelchairs, mealie meal and cooking oil to the hospital.
DPM Khupe was accompanied by Ministers Paurina Mpariwa for Labour and Social Welfare, Lucia Matibenga for Public Service and deputy Ministers Gift Chimanikire for Mines and Mining Development, Murisi Zwizwai Media, Information and Publicity and Tichaona Mudzingwa for Transport and Infrastructural Development.