Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is expected to commission the multi-million-dollar NatPharm Warehouse in Mutare within the next eight weeks, Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti has said.
The warehouse, which is almost complete, will play a pivotal role in enhancing the storage and distribution of essential medicines across the country.
In an interview during the tour of strategic development projects in Mutare on Tuesday, Engineer Muguti said the tour was a precursor to the President’ visit to commission the gigantic facility.
“This visit is a precursor. We are going around the country, inspecting projects that we think are worthy to be commissioned by President Mnangagwa; projects which we think will give us immense savings.
“The NatPharm Warehouse that was constructed here is the second largest in the country, and will be commissioned by President Mnangagwa soon. This visit is meant to ensure that the preparatory works are in place and I am glad to announce that everything is going according to plan. In the next eight weeks, the facility should be ready for commissioning,” he said.
Government secured US$6 million from the Global Fund, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), for the construction of the modern pharmaceutical warehouse.
Engineer Muguti and his team toured the NatPharm Warehouse, Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital solar project, among other developmental projects in the city, and commended the partnership between UNDP and Government. He said that partnership has made possible the installation of the 140-kilowatt solar power system at the provincial referral health institution.
Engineer Muguti said the solar facility will ensure reliable, clean, and renewable source of power, while enhancing the hospital’s capacity to provide uninterrupted critical healthcare services.
“President Mnangagwa has mandated us with provincial economic development, and to that effect we have partnered and worked very closely as a whole-of-Government, with UNDP,” he said.
The facility is part of the broader UNDP Solar for Health initiative, which seeks to improve access to quality health services through sustainable energy solutions.
Engineer Muguti, however, expressed concern over the vandalism and theft of solar equipment at other facilities across the country.
He called for ownership of local development projects to ensure their sustainability.
“One of the challenges we have had as a country is that each time magnificent infrastructure is built like this one, it only takes a year for it to be vandalised or poorly maintained. I am happy to note that UNDP, together with the health Ministry and whole-of-Government, have implemented 1 073 such facilities across our hospitals and clinics. Unfortunately, about 376 solar panels have already been stolen. About 246 inverters have also been stolen across the country, along with over 300 batteries,” he said, emphasising the importance of community involvement and ownership of developmental initiatives to preserve the investments.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Advocate Misheck Mugadza said the NatPharm warehouse’s centralised location will enable efficient distribution of medicines and drugs to various provinces.
This will ensure timely access to critical medications, he added.
“The NatPharm Warehouse is a state-of-the-art facility, equipped with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to maintain optimal storage conditions, ensuring the efficacy of medicines,” he said.
The warehouse is also expected to create numerous job opportunities for local residents, contributing to the local economy and family livelihoods.
“Right now we are expecting the President to come to Manicaland very soon, maybe in a month or two, to commission the NatPharm Warehouse.
“At the moment, I can confirm it has in storage medications worth of millions of dollars; which is a plus to Manicaland. We are serving as a transit holding place for the medications that come via the Beira Corridor, which will be redistributed across the country. This is good for us because our hospitals will also benefit,” he said.
Minister Mugadza also described the Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital solar project as a milestone in the province’s journey towards clean and sustainable energy solutions in the public health sector.
“We have seen that solar energy and renewable energy have taken Manicaland to another level. Several of our hospitals have been solarised through the collaborative works of Government and UNDP. At this hospital, we have this 140-kilowatts project. We also have another one at Mutambara Mission Hospital, which is 150kw. On top of that, we have the Hakwata project, which is 200kw, and feeds into the national grid,” said Minister Mugadza, commending President Mnangagwa for creating an environment that promotes collaboration across sectors.
UNDP country representative Mr Ayodele Odusola said progress at the Natpharm Warehouse was going smoothly and expected the facility to be ready for commissioning by President Mnangagwa in the coming few weeks.
“We keep working closely with Government on different projects across the country. We are installing solar projects at 1073 health institutions across the country and Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital is one of them because we have a vision to power our health institutions as well as contribute to the national grid through renewable energy,” he said.
Mr Odusola said the Solar for Health Programme was implemented in collaboration with the health Ministry.
“We are covering almost 1 073 solar facilities led by Government and UNDP is using resources from the Global Fund to support national priorities. We are also working with Government in putting up solarised boreholes across the country, and 447 have already been installed, 97 of them in Manicaland,” he said.
