Karanda Mission Hospital Appeals For US$1.5 Million For Expansion, Equipment, Staff Housing

Karanda Mission Hospital is appealing for at least US$1.5 million to upgrade infrastructure, buy modern diagnostic and surgical equipment, and construct staff accommodation as patient numbers overwhelm the facility.

One of Zimbabwe’s busiest mission hospitals, the 165-bed Karanda draws patients nationwide for surgery, maternity care, HIV and TB treatment, and chronic disease management.

But demand has outstripped capacity, leaving some patients on floor beds and staff under severe strain.

Karanda’s assistant medical superintendent, Dr Takudzwa Sasa, said the hospital is now treating far more patients than it was originally designed to accommodate.

“One of our biggest challenges is that we have become so popular that we are now chewing more than we can swallow,” said Sasa.

“We never turn away patients, but sometimes that means people have to sleep on the floor or wait an extra day before seeing a doctor.

“We need to expand our male and female wards because the number of patients continues to increase every year.”

Sasa said that while the Ministry of Health and Child Care continued to support the institution, additional investment was urgently needed to improve infrastructure and strengthen specialised services.

“We need about US$1,5 million to build accommodation for doctors and nurses, upgrade our infrastructure and expand the hospital,” he said.

“Some of our buildings date back to the 1960s, yet the demand for services has grown tremendously.”

He said the lack of adequate staff accommodation had become one of the hospital’s biggest challenges, undermining the recruitment and retention of skilled health professionals.

Sasa added that the hospital was upgrading its diagnostic capacity, expanding outpatient clinics for chronic diseases, and introducing more advanced surgical procedures to meet changing health needs.

The institution also hopes to gain recognition as a specialist referral hospital, a status that would help it attract more specialists, he said.

Each year, the hospital attends to about 140,000 patients, conducts more than 51,000 outpatient consultations and performs close to 4,000 surgical procedures.

HIV and tuberculosis remain the main communicable diseases treated at Karanda. On the surgical side, staff carry out a high volume of hernia repairs, abdominal operations, and orthopaedic procedures linked to road traffic injuries.

More: The Herald