National

Mpilo doctors demanding bribes from patients, Parliament told

Published

2 years ago

November 5, 2022

BY STAFF REPORTER

Doctors at government hospitals such as Bulawayo’s Mpilo Central Hospital are demanding bribes of up to US$700 to conduct surgeries on patients, the National Assembly has been told.

Makokoba MP James Sithole made the claims while raising a matter of national interest in Parliament on Thursday.

He said the developments were a sign of decay in the delivery systems at central hospitals.

“I will give an example of what is happening at Mpilo Central Hospital,” Sithole said.

“I am referring to corrupt activities, which are unnecessarily exposing patients that are already suffering to more suffering and to premature death.

“There are patients that have been on the queue to go to theatre since December 31, 2021 and they have not been able to have the opportunity to go to theatre.

“The reason is that each time their allocated dates arrive to go to theatre, excuses are given.”

He added: “They are told that there are no doctors to attend to them; they are told that there are no necessary materials in the theatre; they are told that their temperature is too high for them to go to theatre.

“However, the truth is that it is because they would have not paid a bribe to doctors that range between (US)$300 to (US$) 700 or more.

“Surprisingly, doctors are able to carry out procedures using the same theatres on their private patients without paying anything to the hospital.”

The MP said the X-ray machine and the scanner are said to be broken down most of the times.

“So, if ever anyone is lucky at that time to be attended to, when they get to the other end where the doctor is looking at the X-ray picture, the patient is told the X-ray is not clear because the X-ray machine is faulty,” Sithole added.

“So they are referred to facilities outside or private operators where they have to do another X-ray.

“On the scanning machine, pregnant mothers who have to do a scan are told that there is no jelly but surprisingly, again, the officer operating the scan will be having their private jelly.

“They only attend to their private patients from their private practice, but who come and use the hospital scan with the jelly.”

“Anyone referred by Mpilo is told that there is no jelly, yet those coming from outside who will be their private patients will be attended to.”

The legislator said patients are also denied the opportunity to buy medication from the dispensary as they would be told that medicines are out of stock.

He said when patients pay directly to nurses in the wards, the medication suddenly becomes available.

“So, these are some of the examples that are happening at Mpilo Hospital,” Sithole added.

“Therefore, I would request that the Ministry of Health and Child Care carries out an investigation and bring a ministerial statement to this House.”

National Assembly speaker Jacob Mudenda said Sithole had raised “a fundamental and profound observation.”

Mudenda related an incident where one of his relatives’ son with a broken arm went for six months without being operated on at Harare’s Parirenyatwa Hospital until he intervened.

He said Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who doubles as Health and Child Care minister, would be asked to table a ministerial statement in the National Assembly to explain what was being done to curb corruption in public hospitals.

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

2 weeks ago

March 14, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

Mandishara, who worked for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), was on patrol in the Gatche-gatche area with fellow rangers and police officers.

At around 10 pm, Mandishara returned to the harbor where their boat was docked, and that’s when he encountered the elephant. The elephant charged at him, causing fatal injuries. His colleagues were nearby, resupplying at the Gatche-gatche Irrigation Scheme.

Mandishara’s body was taken to Kariba District Hospital for a post-mortem, and the incident was reported to the police.

ZimParks has sent a team to manage the problem elephant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Director General of ZimParks, Prof. Edson Gandiwa, and his team have sent condolences to Mandishara’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mandishara will be remembered for his dedication to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

Published

2 months ago

February 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs officer, Phillip Kuvenga, has been accused of criminal abuse of office for allegedly assisting in the importation of banned motor vehicles.

Kuvenga, 28, who is stationed at Victoria Falls, allegedly received documents from clients, completed valuation sheets, and carried out the valuation process. However, he is accused of endorsing different chassis numbers to deceive his supervisors during the validation and approval process.

After obtaining approval, Kuvenga would capture the correct chassis numbers in the ASYCUDA World System. He would then alter or replace the documents submitted earlier to his supervisors.

The offense came to light when a motor vehicle that had not yet arrived in Zimbabwe was found to have been already registered. A thorough check by ZIMRA led to Kuvenga’s arrest.

Kuvenga appeared in court on February 1, where he was denied bail by Magistrate Gift Manyka. He is expected to appear in court again today for another bail hearing.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.