Zimbabwe
EMAS Canada was invited in 2015 by the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) and Gutu Development Association to evaluate its health services for a possible development partnership.
Preliminary exploratory visits in 2016 and 2017 determined that Gutu Mission Hospital had potential for growth with input from an EMAS type team project.
An exploratory team traveled to Gutu in the summer of 2019.
The visit included meetings with: The Minister for Health and Child Care; the Moderator of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe; the chairman of RCZ health committee; the Gutu Development Association; the Gutu Hospital Management Team and community leaders.
At Gutu Mission Hospital the team attended ward rounds, assisted with outpatients, and observed staff at its daily routine.
Gutu hospital staff is hard working and has adapted well to working under difficult conditions and chronic shortages. It aspires to excellence, attaining good standards of general cleanliness and patient care but is restricted by budgetary constraints, unserviceable and unreliable equipment.
Gutu Mission Hospital:
1. Includes a nursing school.
2. Has 165 inpatient beds.
3. Conducts 100 normal deliveries; 25 Caesarian sections per month.
4. Receives referrals from over 30 smaller facilities.
5. Serves 1,000 outpatients every month.
6. 20% of the clientele is under 5 years.
7. 65% of outpatient visits are female.
Development Opportunities:
1. Staff training and capacity building to upgrade clinical services.
2. Construction of new and repairs to existing buildings; plant and equipment rehabilitation/replacement.
3. Optimization of solar power energy.
4. Rehabilitation and improvement of water supply.
EMAS Canada’s Pilot Project:
1. Recruit a team for Gutu Mission Hospital.
2. Prioritize and initiate a response towards reachable goals in keeping with Sustainable Development Goals # 3.
3. Demonstrate capacity to operate as a long-term EMAS Canada project.
Team composition:
Healthcare priorities: Obstetricians, Family Physicians, Paediatricians, Nurse educators, Midwives, Dentists, Dental Hygienists, and Pharmacists,
Non-Healthcare priorities: Electrical, Civil, and Water engineers, Plumbers, and Builders.
Need for other cadres will be evaluated on an ongoing basis.
TEAM LEADER: Dr. Peter Agwa