Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo has been identified as the hospital with the highest patient mortality rate in the country, according to patient admission records from January to August 2024.
Statistics on general patient outcomes at central hospitals, obtained by CITE, reveal that Mpilo Hospital recorded the highest mortality rate in the country’s referral hospitals at 8.4%, followed closely by Parirenyatwa Hospital at 8%.
From January to August 2024, Mpilo Hospital had a total of 18 367 admissions and 17 316 discharges.
Parirenyatwa in Harare had 19 437 total admissions and 18 586 number of discharges.
The higher death percentages at Mpilo and Parirenyatwa hospitals could indicate more critically ill patients or challenges in resource allocation and care.
Sally Mugabe Hospital, despite handling the largest admissions at 39 395 and 36 757 discharges, reported a 7.4 percent death rate, which remains low compared to Mpilo and Parirenyatwa.
United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) recorded a five percent death rate from 16 230 admissions and 15 389 discharges.
Despite the patient mortality rate, the hospitals showed most admitted patients were discharged successfully, with discharges close to admission numbers.
Chitungwiza Hospital stands out with a very high discharge rate, recording the lowest death percentage at four percent as the total number of discharges 15,817 is almost equal to admissions 15 865.
These statistics were shared in a Ministry of Health and Child Care end of year review and planning meeting which was held in Bulawayo from December 9 to 13, 2024.
Hospital sources speaking on condition of anonymity pointed to dwindling resources and poor management and dwindling resources, as ket factors contributing to Mpilo’s crisis.
“Mpilo has fallen. There is poor management, gross indiscipline and no accountability,” one source lamented, adding the situation was compounded by “insufficient medical supplies.”
Bulawayo Provincial Medical Director (PMD), Dr Maphios Siamuchembu, referred inquiries regarding Mpilo’s performance to the hospital’s administration
“Information on Mpilo hospital can be obtained from the Mpilo Central Hospital run by Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Dzvanga. If you look for Dr Dzvanga you can ask him all the questions,” he said.
However, contacted for contact, the CMO – Dr Dzvanga, who was on leave, directed questions to the acting CMO, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya.
Prof Ngwenya, also Mpilo’s Clinical Director, acknowledged “the figures are terrible” but assured that “ the hospital is taking measures to restore the hospital to its previous better standing.”
Looking at the above statistics of these public health institutions, particularly Mpilo’s troubling numbers, questions are raised about the resourcing of the country’s public health care facilities and management.
Dr Themba Bulle, a general practitioner based in Australia, said Mpilo and Parirenyatwa hospitals may need further investigation into why their mortality rates are relatively higher.
With over 35 years of medical experiences, Dr Bulle said systematic inequalities are plaguing Zimbabwe’s health system and that such data needs intervention for better health outcomes.
“The rich have access to medical aid and can afford private health which is quite expensive while the poor do not. The rich and high ranking government officials can afford to travel to foreign lands to seek medical attention,” he said.
“They travel to the US, UK, India, Singapore, Malaysia, China, South Africa and many such countries for their treatment while ordinary citizens die in squalor at Mpilo and Parirenyatwa Hospitals which are notorious for shortages of medicines as well as shortages of healthcare staff.”
Dr Bulle added that “many ordinary citizens actually never make it to these hospitals, dying instead in their homes because of lack of money and lack of ambulances.”
He further stated under the principles of universality, Zimbabweans should demand a public health system that is free and paid for by the state.
“Citizens deserve a high quality and effective healthcare system which is fair to all and is available when needed regardless of one’s financial or social status. We demand a functional health system,” he said, noting that Zimbabwe’s healthcare system ranks 117 out of 195 on the Global Health Security (GHS) Index.
“The GHS Index measures the strength of healthcare systems and ours is weak and poor.”
One of the health determinants, according to Dr Bulle, is health spending by the State as a percentage of overall annual state budget or as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) yet “Zimbabwe spends about US$63 per person per year on average on their health.
“Botswana, South Africa, Norway and Australia spend US$ 457, US$1209.89, US$7217 and US$9370 respectively.”
Dr Bulle said the government should increase its health spending from the current 2.79 percent of the GDP to five percent of GDP as recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Executive Director, Community Working Group on Health (CWGH), Itai Rusike, stressed the need for increased investment in the health care sector.
“Health spending as a share of total government expenditure, is an indicator of the priority given to health,” he said.
In the 2025 National Budget, the Ministry of Health and Child Care received an allocation of ZiG28,323.6 million or ZiG28.3 billion (US$785.9 million).
“The allocation represents about 10.2 percent of the total projected public spending in 2025, a decline from the 10.6 percent allocated in 2024. The Abuja Target remains an elusive target for the country. Government also spends a relatively small share of its GDP on health care projected at 2.1 percent in 2025 down from a projected four percent in 2024,” Rusike said.
