On December 14th we had the pleasure of welcoming Hon Dr.
Douglas Mombeshora, Minister of Health and Childcare, to our
Runyararo Health Centre in Chimanimani. He was shown around
the facility by Alistair Johnston and Brian Madamombe from
NMSI. The Minister was very impressed with the hospital and
indicated that the facility will be opened by His Excellency the
President of Zimbabwe sometime next year.
Following the ceremonial opening of Cowdray Park, the Health Centre was officially handed over to the Ministry of Health and Child Care on 4th August 2023.
NMSI representative Tendayi Gatsi and Provincial Medical Directorate Teams (PMD) examined the facility room by room to verify the equipment inventory list, before the Health Centre was signed over to the PMD.
On 2nd August 2023, His Excellency President Mnangagwa presided over the ceremonial opening of Cowdray Park Health Centre in Bulawayo, the second facility to be completed as part of NMSI’s Zimbabwean Healthcare Programme. Also in attendance were the Vice President of Zimbabwe, the First Lady, the Minister of State and Minister of Finance.
The facility will bring healthcare closer to the people of Cowdray Park, serving the city’s most populous suburb whilst decongesting the current referral hospitals in Bulawayo.
Commenting on the impact of the facility, HE President Mnangagwa said: “this modern healthcare facility is between the clinic and the major hospitals. It can help the communities around here… We are happy to have state-of-the-art facilities.”
Installation, Commissioning, Maintenance and Training (ICMT) has commenced on the third Health Centre site at Mataga, following the delivery of equipment to site on 26th July.
NMSI’s ICMT team immediately began offloading, assembly, installation and room loading, finishing on 30th July. Training and acceptance testing on all equipment has now begun and is due to be completed in August.
Zimbabwean Vice President and Minister of Health Dr Constantino Chiwenga made a due diligence visit to the NMSI-built Mfuwe District Hospital on 11 May 2023. The Hon Minister was officially received by the Hon Peter Phiri Zambian Eastern Province Provincial Minister, and escorted by NMSI Country General Manager, Iain Maclean.
The purpose of the visit to the Country was to see NMSI’s Zambian health infrastructure development, specifically the recently completed Mfuwe District Hospital at Mambwe, Zambia.
Concluding the visit, Minister Chiwenga observed: “I must say this is very impressive and can definitely go a long way in decongesting referral hospitals as well as bringing quality healthcare to our people as envisioned by our President, His Excellency Dr ED Mnangagwa.”
“A facility like this will boost the confidence of clients, including tourists, because it will be fully equipped with staff, supplies and equipment,” he said.
Mambwe District Hospital is a fully-equipped 80-bed general hospital, complete with two operating theatres, MRI and CT scanners.
NMSI were delighted to attend this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo. The Exhibition took place from the 25th to 29th April and brought together a diverse audience to promote trade and investment within Zimbabwe.
A team from NMSI comprising Alistair Johnston (NMSI Business Development Manager, Sub-Sahara Africa), Brian Madamombe (Country Agent in Construction), Gareth Sinnett (Head of Trade & Project Finance) and Tendayi Gatsi (Zimbabwe Technical Support Assistant), exhibited the Zimbabwe Health Facilities Programme at the British Embassy stand to numerous parties and individuals, raising awareness and understanding of the project.
Amongst the visitors to the stand was the Zimbabwean Minister of Finance, Mthuli Ncube, who expressed his satisfaction with the current delivery and progress of this project.
On 25th April, Melanie Robinson (British Ambassador to Zimbabwe) and David Gate (Country Director of Trade and Investment, UK Department for Business Trade) visited Cowdray Park Health Centre to tour the facility, discuss the project and understand what is being achieved.
The Ambassador and team were impressed with the quality of work and expressed their delight that the project is benefitting areas of need.
The Zimbabwean Ministry of Finance conducted an inwards Due Diligence and Familiarisation visit to the NMSI Zambia Health Facilities Programme between 4th-11th February, touring NMSI’s offices, Mini Hospitals in Lusaka, the District Hospital in Mfuwe and the Light Steel Frame factory in Lusaka. There was a particular focus on the 80-bed Mambwe District Hospital site, the first of 5x District Hospitals to be delivered as part of the Zambian Programme, as this facility follows a similar design concept to the proposed 60-bed District Hospitals which are being delivered across Zimbabwe.
The visit enabled the MoF to familiarise themselves with NMSI’s design philosophy, construction methodology and operational set up to satisfy their due diligence criteria in anticipation of the delivery of state-of-the-art District Hospitals in Zimbabwe.
Funding has been structured for the progression of NMSI’s Zimbabwe Rural Healthcare Facilities Programme for the delivery of five 80-bed District Hospitals and thirty 20-bed Health Centres; forming part of a broader plan to bring quality healthcare to the people of Zimbabwe.
In a ceremony held at the GTR Conference in Cape Town on the 17th March 2023, Heads of Terms were signed for a dual-tranched $193 million ECA-backed facility by ECIC (Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa); the lenders, Absa Bank and Standard Bank (as joint MLAs) and the borrower, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of Zimbabwe (MOF).
Arranged and advised by GKB Ventures and Sullivan & Worcester of the United Kingdom, the transaction has been structured to support the rural health infrastructure project being undertaken by NMSI.
Commenting on the milestone, Andrew Bvumbe, Head of Aid & Debt Management Office, Ministry of Finance said:
“This financing package is highly significant for Zimbabwe and the underlying ‘Built to Care’ rural healthcare project is a key priority for our nation. We are committed to it and to providing funds for it”
In a joint statement, ECIC, Absa and Standard Bank heralded the financing:
‘This structured financing ushers in an exciting re-emergence of Zimbabwe in capital markets and the project, for the delivery of quality healthcare infrastructure for the people of Zimbabwe, represents a fine example of the effective combination of government, industry and the financial services sector delivering excellent outcomes.’
The initial phase involved the design of the Health Centres and the construction and equipping of the first eight facilities. The first of these new facilities, in South Harare and Bulawayo, have already been completed. The new Health Centres and Hospitals will provide improved access and enhanced patient care in local districts, reducing sickness burden through public health initiatives and localised patient care. The project will provide a range of economic and social benefits, including jobs for local construction workers and contractors, operational work for health workers, as well as additional capacity of 365,000 patient bed nights annually in rural communities.
