BULAWAYO - President Emmerson Mnangagwa has arrived in Bulawayo for a fundraising luncheon aimed at raising US$5 million to transform Ingutsheni Central Hospital into a modern mental health facility and construct a new drug and substance rehabilitation centre.
The President was received at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport by Bulawayo Minister of State Judith Ncube, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, Zanu-PF Bulawayo chairman Jabulani Sibanda, Politburo members, and service chiefs.
The initiative is being led by the Office of Vice President Kembo Mohadi in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care. Ingutsheni Central Hospital, which has served as Zimbabwe's primary psychiatric institution since 1908, is long overdue for a major overhaul.
Funds raised will go toward converting the facility into a state-of-the-art mental health institution, with the new rehabilitation centre expected to address the country's growing drug and substance abuse crisis.
Planned works at the hospital include construction of domestic and farm ablution facilities, repair of three fowl runs, upgrading of the Eastern Farm irrigation project, and extension of water reticulation infrastructure. A 100-metre canal will be reconstructed and an additional borehole drilled.
Further upgrades cover two staff houses, the J.W. Villa Ward, various clinics, and a video room that will be converted into a training facility. The hospital's broader farm infrastructure is also earmarked for rehabilitation.
Zimbabwe has seen a sharp rise in drug and substance abuse in recent years, placing increasing pressure on mental health services that have historically been under-resourced.
Reporting by Sikhumbuzo Moyo of The Chronicle.
