Mt. Selinda Hospital of the UCCZ

Global Ministries has been walking with the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ) since its founding in 1893. Today, the UCCZ is responsible for many ministries, including schools, children’s homes, hospitals, and health programs in the country.

Mt. Selinda Hospital is one of the first ministries set up through the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe. Mt. Selinda Hospital offers a variety of healthcare services and procedures for those living in the region.

Mt. Selinda Hospital continues to face a critical shortage of medical doctors to serve in its different hospital departments. Through seeking ways to incentivize young physicians, Mt. Selinda Hospital and other UCCZ hospitals offer additional pay for physicans, which would provide an increased salary from what the Zimbabwean government provides. The UCCZ continues to welcome support to offer better salaries for physicians at Mt. Selinda Hospital in order to retain doctors and to attract new doctors.

In addition to physician salaries, the hospital is raising funds for a new ambulance. The hospital’s ambulance can no longer be used since the vehicle does not change gears correctly and could put patients in danger. The church has determined it best to replace the vehicle, due to the age of the vehicle, and to search for a new ambulance.

The third priority of the hospital is to improve accommodations for medical staff on the hospital grounds. Currently, the hospital cannot provide accommodations for all staff members, and now several staff members are renting homes in Chako, the nearby village. The church has made plans to refurbish current accommodations and construct new homes for Mt. Selinda medical staff.

Global Ministries welcomes gifts for Mt. Selinda Hospital of the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe.

Update: July 2021

Mt. Selinda Hospital
Mt. Selinda Hospital, the largest UCCZ medical institution with 15 departments, has been one of the most vulnerable UCCZ institutions to COVID-19 in this past year and a half. With inadequate supplies of personal protection equipment (PPE), the UCCZ appealed to various stakeholders. In response, including support through Global Ministries, the UCCZ was able to provide PPE for medical staff and for patients exposed to COVID-19. The hospital has continued caring for patients, including patients who are arriving from Mozambique as a result of the close proximity of the hospital to the border with Mozambique. The issue of transportation continues to be a priority for the hospital to address, as it is necessary for transporting patients and many other purposes. The hospital ambulance, which was donated by the UCCZ over 20 years ago, is no longer running. Additionally, other vehicles at the hospital were damaged by the cyclones and are no longer running at this moment. The UCCZ continues to prioritize the doctor top-up program at Mt. Selinda Hospital as well. The doctor top-up program is a common program in Zimbabwe for hospitals to provide additional incentives to physicians in order to retain quality medical staff. During this pandemic, the church has been able to provide a top up allowance for one of four doctors at Mt. Selinda Hospital. Several doctors have chosen to leave Mt. Selinda Hospital due to the increased risks of the pandemic and the lack of incentives to stay. Supporting the doctor top-up allowance program is one way the UCCZ will be addressing this in the next year and beyond.

COVID-19 Response
The UCCZ has continued to be at the forefront of responding to COVID-19 in Zimbabwe. The church began a robust awareness campaign program in March 2020 and continues to raise awareness on the spread of coronavirus. The UCCZ expresses that more needs to be done for this awareness campaign. Many are reluctant still to practice preventative measures and the UCCZ is working with community leadership to encourage these precautionary measures. In the beginning months, many volunteers through the UCCZ coordinated, purchased, and distributed food baskets, and provided stipends to those who were employed through informal settings and have been without an income during the national restrictions on movement. Distributing food and stipends for families continues to be an important area of responding during this pandemic, as hunger has become an extreme concern for many in Zimbabwe at this time. In addition to food and stipend distributions, the UCCZ has coordinated several community development projects to repair boreholes for better access to water near health clinics, Chikore Mission Hospital, and schools, as well as repairing bridges and the infrastructure of the Shekwa Clinic. The UCCZ Medical Council is working closely with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to reopen the Shekwa clinic, as those living near the clinic are traveling approximately 16 miles to the next nearest healthcare facility. These increased distances are additional barriers to seek medical treatment, presenting more severe health hazards to the vulnerable in these rural communities.