Mpilo Hospital Struggles with Food Shortages
Jacqueline Ndlovu
Mpilo Central Hospital, a critical referral center in Zimbabwe, serving Matabeleland North, South and Midlands provinces, is allegedly facing a crisis of acute food shortages. Patients are receiving meager portions further jeopardizing their recovery and straining their health struggles. This situation is particularly dire for patients from rural areas without relatives in Bulawayo to supplement the hospital rations.
As a referral hospital, Mpilo usually receives cases that may already be advanced and complex and all interventions would have failed at District Hospitals. Medical professionals warn that insufficient and unbalanced meals can hinder recovery. Malnutrition weakens a patient’s immune system, making them more susceptible to infections and rendering treatment less effective.
For women like Lindiwe Ndlovu, a young mother from Gokwe, the hospital’s food shortage adds another layer of hardship. “I had my baby just a few months ago, and I’m already so weak,” says Lindiwe Ndlovu, a young mother from Gokwe. “They tell me to eat well to make milk for him, but there is no food,” she says, highlighting the impact on breastfeeding and overall health.
Siphesihle Dube, another patient from rural Matabeleland, echoes this concern. “Back home, I feed my family,” she says. “Here, with an empty stomach, I can’t help but think of their hunger too.” This burden extends beyond physical needs, creating immense psychological stress for these women who are already facing illness.
Asked to comment on the issue, Mpilo hospital Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga acknowledged the allegations but further noted that the food shortage challenges had been resolved. Attributing the shortage to logistical errors and not administrative inefficiencies.
“It’s partly true. It was just a logistical error. We have the resources, it was just poor communication in the delivery system,” he told CITE.
The 2024 national budget allocation of 10.8% for healthcare falls far short of the 15% recommended by the Abuja Declaration. This shortfall likely contributes to critical shortages like those seen at Mpilo Central Hospital, where patients are struggling with inadequate meals. It is important that the government prioritize healthcare funding and ensure essential services like hospital nutrition programs are adequately supported. The health and well-being of our communities depend on it.