The long-awaited Lupane Provincial Hospital project has ground to a halt again amid severe funding shortfalls—the latest setback in a decades-old struggle to establish a provincial hospital in Matabeleland North.
Parliament heard that construction is only 22.7% complete, and that the contractor is owed more than US$2 million.
The disclosure has reignited frustration among residents and legislators, with Hwange Central MP Daniel Molokela-Tsiye declaring that the people of the province are "tired of promises" 46 years after independence.
Health and Child Care deputy minister, Sleiman Kwidini, told the National Assembly that progress on the project had been crippled by severe cash-flow constraints, forcing the contractor to temporarily demobilise from the site.
"Lupane Provincial Hospital in Matabeleland North Province is currently 22.7% complete," Kwidini said, adding that the government owed the contractor more than US$2 million in outstanding payment certificates.
"As a result of the non-payment, the contractor has temporarily demobilised, significantly slowing down the works.
"The ministry continues to engage Treasury to facilitate the settling of outstanding payment certificates, restore the contractor's liquidity and enable full resumption of works."
The minister said phase one of the project, once fully resumed, would take 24 months to complete—provided there is improved cash flow and a timely release of funds.
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The Lupane Provincial Hospital project was first mooted in the early 2000s as part of the government's commitment to decentralise specialised healthcare and address glaring regional disparities.
Matabeleland North remains the only province in Zimbabwe without a dedicated provincial hospital, forcing critically ill patients to travel over 300 kilometres to Bulawayo's Mpilo Central Hospital or to neighbouring countries.
The project was officially relaunched with much fanfare in 2018 under the second republic's 'no place and no person left behind' mantra, with ground-breaking ceremonies attended by senior government officials.
However, repeated funding shortfalls, contractor disputes and inflationary pressures have plagued the initiative.
At its peak, the project was expected to cost upwards of US$30 million, but escalating construction costs and currency volatility have likely pushed that figure higher.
The current contractor, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, is understood to have been engaged in 2021, but work has been sporadic at best.
The 22.7% completion figure represents little more than foundational and structural work, with essential medical equipment, utilities and staffing still far from realisation.
Molokela-Tsiye expressed outrage at the prolonged inertia.
"Honourable minister, it has now been two years without any construction activity at Lupane Provincial Hospital, which I have personally visited," he said.
"Government policy is that no place and no person should be left behind. Yet, 46 years after independence, Matabeleland North Province still does not have a provincial hospital. The province is being left behind."
His remarks underscored a deep-seated grievance in Matabeleland, where residents have long felt marginalised in national development planning.
The province, which covers over 75 000 square kilometres and has a population of nearly one million people, relies on a fragile network of district clinics and mission hospitals, none of which offer comprehensive specialist care.
Molokela-Tsiye demanded a specific commitment from the health ministry, the government and Treasury on funding and completion timelines, and called for a ministerial statement that would set out a clear funding plan and timeframe.
Kwidini agreed to the request, affirming that the government remained guided by the 'no place left behind' policy, but conceded that inadequate funding had hampered implementation.
"We further hope that the original contractor will return to the site to complete the works," Kwidini said, adding that the ministry was also exploring the possibility of engaging the Presidential Scheme Programme to supplement funding.
He confirmed that a ministerial statement would be issued after consultations with the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion.
The stall at Lupane comes amid a wider crisis in the country’s public health infrastructure, with many rural hospitals operating with outdated equipment, chronic drug shortages and understaffed facilities.
The country's health budget has consistently fallen short of the Abuja Declaration target of 15% of national expenditure, currently hovering below 10%.
In Matabeleland North, the absence of a provincial hospital is not just an administrative oversight but a life-or-death reality.
Patients with complex conditions, such as cardiovascular emergencies, severe trauma or advanced maternal complications, routinely face perilous road journeys to Bulawayo—a trip that can take up to five hours on poorly maintained roads.
Health advocates have called for the project to be declared a national priority, warning that further delays will only entrench health inequities between Matabeleland North and more developed provinces such as Harare and Bulawayo.
