Mpilo Central Hospital is expected to start providing cancer treatment using newly installed radiation therapy machines within three to four months, improving access to specialised care for patients in southern Zimbabwe.
The machines are expected to reduce the need for patients to travel to Harare for treatment and expand the hospital’s capacity to provide modern cancer care.
Mpilo chief executive officer and chief medical officer Professor Solwayo Ngwenya said the equipment had been installed and was undergoing preparations ahead of the start of clinical services.
Speaking during a tour of the hospital by Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube on Friday, Ngwenya said the machines were expected to handle between 60 and 80 patients a day.
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“The cancer machines have been installed in place and we expect to start giving clinical treatments in three to four months’ time because a lot of patients have been going to Harare for treatment.
“But these machines are going to be a game changer in this southern region and patients are going to have access to modern radiation therapy,” he said.
Ngwenya said the hospital was also undergoing extensive renovations and modernisation to improve healthcare facilities and the working environment for staff.
He said the upgrades would create cleaner and safer spaces for patients, while helping to reduce hospital-acquired infections.
“The renovations are game-changing as well and they are going to be a huge change after they have been completed. They are at a massive scale, the way there are renovations and upgrading and modernising facilities.
“Our patients and our staff are going to work in an environment that is fit for this century and the patients will feel at home where they are cared for in a clean, safe environment that will reduce things like infections and so forth,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ncube urged residents to verify information about public institutions before sharing it on social media.
She said misleading reports about the state of public institutions were sometimes circulated without people checking the facts with the organisations concerned.
Ncube encouraged residents to seek clarification from relevant authorities before commenting publicly.
“You get people sending a lot of false messages as if things are falling apart, not knowing that there are a lot of innovations that are being undertaken.
“So, I want to encourage those who want to make a comment in an institution … once you get information of some sort, go to the very institution for verification so that when you post, you post information in a correct way. That’s my advice to the citizens,” she said.
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