Deputy Health Minister John Mangwiro has admitted bureaucratic red tape was stalling repairs at the Kariba General Hospital, which was destroyed by fire two years ago.
He said tendering processes, which involve vetting bidders and their capacities, were delaying the start of repair work.
Mangwiro, a former army surgeon, recommended the government enlists the services of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) to quickly refurbish the X-ray, pharmaceutical, and human resources departments.
The hospital was gutted by an inferno believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.
Mangwiro told NewZimbabwe.com; “There was an inferno that destroyed the X-ray department, pharmacies, and other buildings but reconstruction has not started.
“There is a delay in terms of the tender systems and we have tried to make sure that is resolved by making sure our government officials engage the armed forces so that they can be helped in the construction.
“The armed forces and colleges are very fast and cheaper than waiting for tenders that l hear are waiting for months or some time, this will help us in terms of quickening the speed.”
The deputy minister, who was on a tour of the medical facility last weekend, lamented the general lack of hygiene at the hospital, saying it was a breeding ground for communicable diseases.
“Water and sewage are running everywhere. I am not happy at all because these can actually be sources of terrible infections for the whole village or town,” he said.
“We encourage everyone in provincial, district hospitals and clinics to really be hands-on in terms of cleanliness, repairs of sewage pipes and taps, and so forth.”
Mangwiro also decried lack of accountability at the hospital’s pharmacy which he said had no proper inventory records of drugs and medicines.
The pharmacist was clueless on how much stock of drugs and medicines were in place and when they are due to expire, Mangwiro claimed.