By Mbekezeli Ncube
BULAWAYO-A total of 176 nurses and midwives graduated at Mpilo Central Hospital amid calls for improved patient care, professional accountability and the strengthening of specialist nursing skills in Zimbabwe’s public health sector.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care Permanent Secretary, Aspect Maumganidze who represented Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora at the graduation and prize-giving ceremony in Bulawayo on Friday, said nurses must address concerns over the quality of care, warning that technical competence alone was not enough to guarantee satisfactory treatment outcomes.
He said the manner in which patients were received, listened to and treated remained an important part of healthcare delivery, adding that the ministry continued to receive complaints from patients who were satisfied with medical procedures but unhappy with the care they received.
“Many a time we get patients who come to head office and say, ‘I was healed, the surgery was done properly, but I’m not sure the care was the best.’ We don’t want such complaints. We want holistic care,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary said nurses, who often serve as the first point of contact for patients, should combine professional competence with kindness, empathy and respect for human dignity.
His remarks come at a time when public healthcare institutions continue to face pressure to provide quality services amid growing demands on the health system, making the availability of adequately trained and motivated personnel increasingly important.
He also challenged the graduates to uphold professionalism and integrity, saying patient safety should remain central to their decisions and conduct.
The ceremony also marked the graduation of the first cohort of the Advanced Diploma in Midwifery at Mpilo Central Hospital, a development the Permanent Secretary said would strengthen specialist nursing capacity, particularly in managing medical emergencies.
He said midwifery required nurses to make sound clinical decisions and provide timely interventions in situations where delays could have serious consequences.
“This new programme represents a very important investment in specialist nursing skills. Midwifery requires the ability to assess patients rapidly, make sound clinical decisions and provide timely interventions in situations where every minute, every second matters,” he said.
The development comes as the Ministry of Health and Child Care moves to establish a dedicated Division of Emergency Medical Services, with specialist nurses expected to contribute to improving emergency response and coordination.
The Permanent Secretary said the introduction of specialised medical equipment, including radiotherapy machines at Mpilo and its referral hospitals, should also be accompanied by training programmes that equip health workers to operate in specialised fields.
He challenged nursing training institutions to broaden their programmes to include oncology nursing and other emerging areas of specialisation.
However, he cautioned graduates against assuming that qualification marked the end of their professional development, urging them to continuously acquire new knowledge as healthcare practices and technologies evolve.
He also highlighted the need for teamwork among health professionals, saying effective patient care depended on cooperation between nurses, doctors, pharmacists and laboratory scientists.
“Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists — everyone in the health profession needs to respect one another’s expertise and work together for the interest of the patients,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary further warned graduates about burnout, saying their professional responsibilities should not come at the expense of their wellbeing.
He joked that newly qualified nurses should prepare for relatives to treat their homes as round-the-clock medical facilities, reminding them that they also needed time to rest.
Mpilo Central Hospital is a major referral institution serving Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Masvingo and other parts of the southern region.
