By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – Chiredzi General Hospital could finally receive the long-awaited rehabilitation
that residents have been demanding for years, after the government confirmed that the facility
was being assessed for inclusion under the Independence Legacy Projects Programme, ahead of
Zimbabwe’s 2027 Independence Day celebrations set for Masvingo Province.
The commitment was made in the National Assembly after Chiredzi Central Constituency
legislator Ropafadzo Makumire pressed the Minister of Health and Child Care to inform the
House when the long-neglected hospital would be renovated.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Sleiman Timeos Kwidini, who was standing in for the
Minister, acknowledged that the hospital’s infrastructure was in urgent need of attention and that
the government was aware of the situation.
“Indeed, Chiredzi General Hospital, like many other district and general hospitals across the
country, requires infrastructure rehabilitation and upgrading to improve service delivery. The
Ministry is aware of several areas requiring attention at the hospital, including critical support
services such as the mortuary and other ageing infrastructure,” said Kwidini.
Kwidini linked the hospital’s prospects to Masvingo Province’s hosting of the 2027 Independence
Celebrations, saying the event had opened a window for accelerated investment in public
infrastructure in the province.
“Chiredzi General Hospital is among the facilities being assessed for possible inclusion under the
Independence Legacy Projects Programme. Our technical teams are mapping priority
interventions and developing cost estimates to guide implementation,” said Kwidini.
He also indicated that refurbishment works at selected Masvingo hospitals were intended to
commence ahead of the Independence Celebrations, subject to funding and approvals.
However, Makumire said the state of the hospital reflected decades of neglect and questioned
why district hospitals were only remembered when tied to national events.
“We raise these issues because when we visit a hospital with a patient, the hospital itself does not
provide an environment that shows that there is life. If you look at the history of the restructuring
of this hospital, since we got independence, this hospital has not been remembered at all,” said
Makumire.
He further asserted that the pattern of directing resources only to venues hosting independence
celebrations was unfair to communities like Chiredzi.
“Bringing independence in Masvingo is welcome, but the hospitals which normally get benefits
are the hospitals where independence celebrations are being held. So, like what is happening,
help can be received from Mwenezi. The arrival of independence in Mwenezi must also bring
some renovations in Chiredzi,” he said.
No firm timeline or budget figure was given for the Chiredzi project, with the Ministry saying
cost estimates were still being developed as part of the assessment process.
