The Mbuya Nehanda Maternal Hospital, located within Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, is scheduled to reopen in April, with official operations resuming on Independence Day, according to Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga.
The facility was temporarily shut down last year to allow for major refurbishment works, following an unannounced inspection by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at several of the country’s major referral hospitals. The visit highlighted the urgent need to rehabilitate ageing infrastructure within the public health system.
Renovation works covered multiple sections of the hospital complex, including Adlam House, which houses student nurses. The building had suffered extensive structural deterioration, affecting roofing, ceilings, floors, sewer lines, and water supply systems.
During a tour of Parirenyatwa Hospital yesterday, Mr Guvamatanga also announced that nurses’ hostels are expected to reopen on February 14, easing accommodation challenges faced by healthcare workers in Harare.
Meanwhile, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora confirmed that newly procured advanced cancer radiotherapy machines have arrived in Durban, South Africa, and are awaiting transportation to Zimbabwe.
“The equipment is already in Durban,” Dr Mombeshora said, adding that a Government technical team carried out pre-delivery inspections at the manufacturer’s facility earlier this month to ensure compliance with required standards.
The purchase of the machines was financed through a US$30 million allocation from the sugar tax, with one unit earmarked for installation at Parirenyatwa Hospital and the second destined for Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo.
The hospital upgrades, including the newly refurbished maternity wing, are being implemented by Prevail International Group under a broader national hospital modernisation programme.
In addition, Dr Mombeshora revealed plans to expand access to cancer treatment services by relocating existing but still functional radiotherapy machines from Harare and Bulawayo. These machines will be used to establish new cancer treatment centres in Gweru and either Masvingo or Chinhoyi, a move expected to significantly increase the country’s public radiotherapy capacity.
