The government has pledged to speed up the reconstruction of part of the St. Theresa Nursing School in the Chiromhanzo district of the Midlands province, which was recently gutted by fire and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of property, leaving students and teachers stranded.
Part of the school was destroyed by the fire that broke out in the early hours of last week while the students and their teachers were sleeping.
The school, part of the Catholic-run St Teresa Mission Hospital, has 165 nursing students (35 male, 130 female), some of whom are due to sit their final exams in two weeks.
The causes of the fire are not yet known, but preliminary investigations indicate that it broke out in the visitors’ reception hall, before spreading to the library, the first teacher’s office, the tea room, the student dining room, the kitchen, the men’s hostel, and the television room.
Evidence indicates that the fire spread quickly through the ceiling due to the lack of high wall partitions. Laptops, furniture, stoves, utensils, refrigerators, beds, solar panels and all library books were destroyed in the burning inferno.
Over the weekend, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Suleiman Qwedeni, together with the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry and legislator for Chiromhanzo South Constituency, Ms Barbara Rodzi, visited the school to ascertain the extent of the damage caused by the fire. .
Minister Quidini said they were visiting the school with a heavy heart following the devastating incident.
“The government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care will assist in the restoration of the damaged infrastructure based on the recommendations of the Catholic Diocese of Gweru,” he said.
A high-level delegation from the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare also inspected the damage to assist in recommendations for returning the school to how it was before the fire.
“I have brought in a team of relevant technocrats from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, namely the Director of Nursing Services for issues related to affected nursing students, and the Acting Finance Director for financial issues, procurement of goods, hospital planning and infrastructure for the reconstruction project and procurement of construction materials,” said Sdi Quidini. , Acting Deputy Administrative and Logistics Director for Administrative Issues, Logistics and Hospital Equipment for Hospital Equipment.”
He said the first stage was to restore the destroyed infrastructure, adding that it was wise to consider constructing high-rise buildings in the hospital.
The Deputy Minister also encouraged nursing students who will be sitting for their final exams in the next two weeks to study hard for them to obtain positive results.
“Moreover, I encourage the nursing students who will be sitting for their final exams in the next two weeks to study hard. Yes, this fire is a big hurdle in terms of your preparation but I urge you to go against the grain and study hard and achieve positive results.”
“I would like to thank you all for the collaborative efforts you have demonstrated in trying to stop the spread of the fire.”
Minister Rodzi praised the Ministry of Health and Child Care for its quick reaction and pledge to help rebuild the nursing school buildings.
“We commend the ministry and the government for providing resources so that the damaged building and the new building can be rebuilt as soon as possible,” she said.
“As we speak, installation of solar power in unaffected buildings is now at an advanced stage as well as installation of internet connectivity to assist students in their studies.
“Finally, I encourage students to unite because everything will return to normal very soon,” she said. Chronicle
