MATHEW TAKAONA 

MIRROR REPORTER

MASVINGO – Masvingo City Council has started work on a US$5 million infectious diseases hospital, the first of its kind in the province with Government having already released $120 million for the design.

Town Clerk, Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa told The Mirror in an exclusive interview that the project has got the nod of Government and land for the hospital has been identified in the City’s proposed new CBD.

All local authorities are obligated by law to have an infectious diseases hospital and in the case of Masvingo, the project became urgent after the experiences of COVID-19 which saw a makeshift place being turned into a quarantine center, said Mukaratirwa.

Once completed Masvingo will be the third city after Mutare, Bulawayo and Harare to have an infectious diseases hospital. The 150-bed hospital will henceforth serve the whole province as infectious diseases patients are currently being referred to Harare.

Government has already agreed on funding the project through the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).   

“We received $120 million from Government for the design and preliminary work for the hospital. We have done all the work and made our submissions to Government and we are now waiting for the response in order to go to the next stage,” said Mukaratirwa.

He said that the hospital is going to have a staff complement of at least 200 including doctors and nurses. The new CBD is just across the river from the current CBD.