Staff Reporter
The giant medical laboratory being constructed at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) by Government in partnership with Crowley Construction Company is set to be a game changer to the nation and the region at large.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, UBH Chief Medical Officer, Dr William Busumani highlighted that the laboratory would cater for all referral tests that are currently being referred to international laboratories. He added that the laboratory would be of much assistance to patients who are currently being charged exorbitant fees by private laboratories.
“This is a super laboratory, a modern type laboratory which has got nine departments which basically cover all the areas in patient investigation. It is going to help us a lot because we were outsourcing most of these services from private players, remember moving a patient up and down can be a problem.
“This is why we want something which is in-house so that when a patient comes here it is now a one stop shop and all the investigations are done here within the institution, it is easy for the patients, it is easy for us as we get the results quickly so that we can quickly manage our patients,” said Dr Busumani.
The Managing Director of Crowley Construction, Joseph Mutiyeni indicated that they expect the laboratory to be complete by end of June this year.
“We started constructing the laboratory in July 2022 and we are now almost 95% complete. We are almost done and we are supposed to finish by the 30th June this year. Government has done well in employing local companies. I am happy they are giving livelihood to their own entrepreneurs. The advantage of trusting a local company like us is that the proceeds accruing from these contracts will be reinvested locally as opposed to foreign repatriation,” said Mutiyeni.
One local resident, Rutendo Moyo from Nkulumane suburb commended Government for prioritizing the development of medical infrastructures.
“I am happy that infrastructure is always being upgraded to improve service delivery. If we have a bigger laboratory it will be cheaper for us. There are instances where patients are told to go and have some tests done at private facilities and usually these are expensive,” said Moyo.
Medical laboratories play an important role in modern health systems as they help experts ascertain ailments afflicting patients before prescribing treatment. The UBH medical laboratory covers a floor area of 2 622 square meters.
