Source: Masvingo Hospital Upgrade: US$40m turning vision into reality – herald
George Maponga
Masvingo Bureau
THE US$40 million transformation of Masvingo Provincial Hospital into a state-of-the-art university teaching facility is progressing according to plan, with the institution expected to become a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s health delivery system and a hub for tourism upon completion.
The ambitious four-phase project will see the hospital upgraded into a modern 400-bed referral centre that will also host clinical training for students from Great Zimbabwe University’s (GZU) Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences.
Phase One, which involves refurbishing the outpatient department, administration block, male and female wards, as well as establishing fully equipped High Dependency (15 beds) and Intensive Care Units (6 beds), is set for completion by January next year.
This will pave the way for the inaugural intake of 20 medical students from GZU, who are scheduled to begin their three-year clinical studies at the newly designated Masvingo University Teaching Hospital in February 2026.
Touring the facility last week, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Aspect Maunganidze, said progress on the first phase was encouraging.
He emphasised the importance of aligning hospital upgrades with the university’s academic calendar and called for the project to be granted national project status to expedite completion.
“It is important for us to make sure that we move as fast as we can and after the tour, we are very happy that phase one which is refurbishment of the hospital to make it an appropriate 400-bed provincial hospital which will be able to give the clinical services that are needed is progressing very well,” he said.
“However, we are trying to synchronise with where the Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences is going, and we are trying to make sure that by January or February our hospital is fit for purpose in terms of training, which is very key for our medical students.
“Our graduates in medicine are known to have very good clinical skills and are very much sought after the world over and we want to maintain this with Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences and Masvingo University Teaching Hospital.”
Dr Maunganidze said the ministry was exploring ways to consolidate the four phases of the project into just two to meet tight deadlines.
This includes fast-tracking the recruitment of human resources — with Treasury approval — and ensuring the timely delivery of critical equipment, much of which has already arrived for the ICU and HDU units.
He stressed that transforming Masvingo Provincial Hospital into a world-class teaching facility was in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision of turning it into a premier health institution, one that mirrors the historical and cultural significance of the Great Zimbabwe Monument nearby.
Hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr Noel Zulu, confirmed that the upgrade was being executed in four phases. The current phase focuses on refurbishing existing infrastructure, while the second phase will see the construction of entirely new facilities, including a maternity wing and mortuary.
He said some of the older structures, built in the 1950s, will be preserved and upgraded – not demolished – as a way of honouring the hospital’s heritage.
The third phase will centre on capacity building through retooling and the installation of world-class medical equipment.
Dean of the Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences, Professor Jacob Mufunda, expressed confidence that the project would meet its timeline.
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