By Paidashe Mandivengerei
Zimbabwean doctors have today (Wednesday) called on the government to request for their input when purchasing hospital equipment as this has resulted in the consignment of incorrect machinery in the past.
Hundreds of public hospital doctors today marched to Parliament building from Parirenyatwa hospital to deliver a petition to legislators.
In the petition handed over to the clerk of parliament, Kennedy Chokuda, Senior Hospital Doctors Association (SHDA) revealed that the medical equipment recently purchased by the government from India was dead.
The doctors added that hiring people outside the medical field to procure medical equipment fostered corruption.
“There is micromanagement of hospitals currently taking place whereby lists are requested from individuals in hospitals from the Ministry of Health and Child Care so that goods are purchased for the hospitals from the head office disregarding the need for input of whole divisions in hospitals. This has resulted in the acquisition of wrong equipment like a recent consignment that came through from India. The consignment of goods purchased from India using funds released directly from His Excellency President Mnangagwa brought incompatible equipment, some of which was obsolete refurbished material. As a result, the equipment is not even working. The procurement of equipment for use by people outside the places of use is the reason for the acquisition of wrong equipment and stinks of corruption. ”