The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
THE Chipinge community is lobbying Government for the establishment of an uninterrupted and dedicated power line linking Chipinge General Hospital and the local water pump station.
The acting district development coordinator (DDC) for Chipinge, Mr Teddius Beto, said consultations were at an advanced stage to ascertain the possibility of having a power line linking the district referral hospital and waterworks.
“The provincial development coordinator (PDC) has instructed us to engage ZETDC with the view to install a dedicated and uninterrupted power line to the hospital and waterworks. We have started the engagement process with ZETDC at district level and they have promised to advise us after consulting their superiors. Our intention is to have uninterrupted power at the two critical facilities in the town,” he said.
“Once we have uninterrupted power at the hospital, it will mean that critical areas like theatre rooms, mortuary and emergency rooms will be functional and the people will get the essential services all the time. “Efforts to upgrade the hospital into a state-of-the-art facility are on course following an instruction by the First Lady. When the First Lady visited the hospital at the height of Cyclone Idai she made it clear that it should be modernised and this process must be complemented by adequate power supply.
“The hospital is powered by generators when there is no electricity, but this cannot cater for all critical areas. We are aware of the current power challenges and it is our hope that the issue of the dedicated power line is accelerated,” said Mr Beto.
On water situation in the town, Mr Beto said that once a permanent power line to the waterworks was established, the situation would automatically improve.
“Council is struggling to pump water to residents due to power outages and we are saying just like at the hospital, there must be a dedicated power line to the waterworks. This will enable council to continuously pump water to the residents,” he said.
Chipinge has not been spared of electricity challenges affecting the country, crippling operations at the hospital which is the referral centre for the district with a population of at least 300 000 people.
Operations in key sections like the mortuary, theatre rooms and children and maternity wards have been grossly affected.
The water situation was exacerbated by Cyclone Idai, which damaged water pipes in areas like Gaza high- and low-density areas.
