Deputy Health Minister Traveled To India To Buy Non Usable Hospital Equipment - Senior Doctors Tell Parly
Senior doctors testified before parly yesterday that Deputy Health Minister Dr Chamunorwa Mangwiro travelled to India and bought hospital equipment which is not usable New Zimbabwe reports.
The senior doctors said, of the equipment, Dr Mangwiro brought from India only 10% of it is usable. The equipment that was brought from Norula Exports based in New Delhi, India, has reportedly caused more problems for the government. ‘
Testifying before parly, Senior Public Hospitals Doctors’ Dr Mbuvayesango said:
What happened with the Indian consignment was that Dr Mangwiro called a member of the Department of Surgery and telling him he was going to India to buy equipment.
Maybe he was in the departure lounge, but the member declined and told him that this was not the way how things were done.
Some people (hospital staff) alleged they got images on WhatsApp from the Minister asking whether the equipment shown on WhatsApp was the correct one.
The endoscopic equipment was not usable and doctors refused to use it. Equipment was not branded. A sticker from a company not known to be a manufacturer Narula Exports from New Delhi was named as the company supplying the equipment.
When the equipment arrived, there was a big ceremony at the Airport in Harare. The President said, ‘I am not a doctor but is this the correct equipment that was bought.
The tendering system does not work. There is brand that we know will last. Some brands are cheap and do not even last for two or three years. We were consulted but when it came to actual purchasing, we were not involved.
I and Dr Mangwiro were put in procurement board, but we were never called in for any meetings because we were said to be very busy. Maybe there is a deliberate ploy to exclude the end user.
Meanwhile, junior doctors have reportedly accepted HigherLife Foundation‘s fellowship for doctors and a bulk of them have reportedly gone back to work.
More: New Zimbabwe.