Newly appointed Mpilo Central Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Professor Solwayo Ngwenya has pledged to restore the Bulawayo referral institution to its former status as one of Southern Africa’s leading hospitals, promising sweeping improvements in patient care, professionalism, medicine availability and service delivery.
Prof Ngwenya, who officially assumed office this week after years of serving in an acting capacity, said his administration would focus on rebuilding the hospital’s reputation by making sure patients receive quality healthcare without unnecessary delays or forced to purchase medicines outside the institution.
“Our vision is to have Mpilo go back to its former glory of being one of the best hospitals in Southern Africa,” Professor Ngwenya said.
“So we are going to work hard and make sure that we introduce professionalism, discipline and high-quality care for patients. We want to make sure service delivery is done properly and patients don’t have to wait for many things.”
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The appointment, announced on Tuesday in an internal notice to staff, brings certainty to the leadership of Zimbabwe’s second-largest referral hospital after years during which Prof Ngwenya served as acting Chief Medical Officer.
Read: https://cite.org.zw/prof-solwayo-ngwenya-confirmed-as-mpilo-ceo-after-years-in-acting-role/
For many Zimbabweans, the appointment comes at a time when Mpilo is seeking to recover from years of declining infrastructure, shortages of medicines and equipment and mounting pressure on the public health system.
In its prime, Mpilo was regarded as one of Africa’s leading hospitals, comparable to Makerere Hospital in Uganda.
It attracted specialist doctors and trainee medical practitioners from across the world and built a reputation for outstanding patient care, specialist services and medical training.
Constructed during the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the hospital shares architectural similarities with Harare Central Hospital and Llewellyn Hospital in Kitwe, Zambia.
Situated next to Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo’s Mzilikazi suburb, it was once regarded as a flagship institution in Southern African healthcare.
In an interview with CITE on Wednesday after a donation of 800 pairs of bed sheets and 800 draw sheets from First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, Prof Ngwenya acknowledged the challenges facing the hospital but said improving healthcare outcomes and reducing hospital mortality would be the driving force behind his administration.
“My passion for improving healthcare facilities and reducing mortality in the hospital is our driving force,” he said.
The CEO outlined several immediate priorities, including providing adequate medicine stocks, motivating healthcare workers and strengthening teamwork throughout the institution.
“We are also going to make sure there are enough medicines for patients’ treatment. We do not want to hear patients going to buy medicines outside the hospital,” Prof Ngwenya said.
“We will make sure there are high levels of medicines in our institution and continue to motivate staff and work as a team to achieve our goal so that Zimbabweans have access to healthcare that is of high quality.”
The issue of medicine shortages has for years been one of the major complaints from patients seeking treatment at public hospitals, where many are frequently issued prescriptions and instructed to purchase drugs from private pharmacies because hospital stocks have run out.
Prof Ngwenya said addressing that challenge would be central to improving public confidence in Mpilo.
His vision has already received backing from the hospital’s clinical leadership.
Acting Clinical Director, Dr Fanuel Mwedzi, congratulated Professor Ngwenya on his appointment, saying management was united behind efforts to improve service delivery.
“There’s a lot of work to be done and I would like to give assurance that yes, we are going to work day and night, making sure that our patients who come to Mpilo Hospital enjoy very good services,” he said.
Dr Mwedzi said improving medicine availability would be among the hospital’s key priorities.
“We also want to improve service delivery in terms of medicine availability so that patients don’t have to buy medicine from outside, but they get complete medical care at the hospital,” he said.
Prof Ngwenya’s appointment has also been welcomed by government officials, who said strong leadership will be essential in restoring the institution’s reputation.
Speaking during the donation of sheets handover at Mpilo, Bulawayo Provincial Development Coordinator Paul Nyoni, representing Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube, congratulated Professor Ngwenya and urged hospital staff to rally behind him.
“Well deserved, you have been around for so long… I’m struggling to say brand new congratulations for finally getting the keys. This is a very difficult job, let’s not kid ourselves,” he said.
Nyoni acknowledged the enormous challenges facing the hospital but expressed confidence that they could be overcome through teamwork.
“This task, which if offered to me would have run away because I know the challenges you face,” he joked but urged the staff to support Prof Ngwenya.
“Support the Prof as you have always supported him. The title should not change the way you approach your activities. It’s very important to work as a team.”
The PDC said collaboration between government, hospital management and healthcare workers had already begun transforming the institution through the installation of new equipment and infrastructure improvements.
“Changes are happening in our institution because of that collective collaboration we have,” he said, pledging continued support from the government.
“We, as the Minister of State’s Office, support you wherever possible, in fact we have always tried to see how best we can support you and the government itself will continue supporting you. The First Lady has always had something going on for Mpilo every few months. We will work together so that it becomes the Mpilo that most of you were born in.”
Nyoni said the ultimate goal was to restore the hospital’s former standing.
“Let it be a place where people know they can be treated well. You guys do wonderful work, some of it is mentioned in newspapers, we have seen some crazy operations, where you have removed axes and spears from people’s heads. You have done it successfully, let’s never look down upon ourselves.”
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