Harare — ACTING Prime Minister, Arthur Mutambara has urged the country's major hospitals to work with the private sector to improve the health delivery system.

Speaking during a familiarasation tour of three hospitals in Harare yesterday, Acting PM Mutambara said most nations were not prepared to help the country with money, but with humanitarian assistance.

"We must work with the private sector to improve the health delivery system in the country," he said. "There is potential for the private sector to work with you.

"Let us be creative. Most nations are not prepared to give us money, but they want to give us humanitarian assistance."

He said Government had no money and it was for the officials in the health sector to partner with the private sector.

"The expertise is in the private sector and now how do we partner with them to assist the health delivery system,?" he asked Prof He said the Government was also making efforts through the Ministry of Finance, to ensure that there was adequate health delivery system countrywide and to look into the plight of the employees.

"Government does not have enough money and we would want to see that some of the challenges being faced have been assisted by the private sector," he said.

Prof Mutambara visited Harare Hospital, Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases and Parirenyantwa Hospital.

The main purpose of the tour was to assess the nature of challenges being faced by the city's major hospitals, among others.

"Without the health system, there is no society and industry. We want you (the health officials) to deliver and that is why we are here to listen. We are a new Government that has a new thinking. We are the doers and not the enablers," he said. He said as Government, they would take up all the issues and try to raise some funds.

"We want to make sure we facilitate the health delivery system in the country," said Prof Mutambara.

On the issue of the salaries, Prof Mutambara said part of the US$73 million which was given to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the United States was also going to the health and education sectors.

"Salaries would be classified under the humanitarian assistance so that we can alleviate human crisis because without the health system we cannot function," he said. The Acting Prime Minister said officials in the health delivery system must also find ways to reach some of their students, especially doctors who were now operating outside the country for assistance.

"You produced so many doctors, why can't you reach them especially those in the diaspora for assistance and address this issue," he said.

Harare hospital chief executive officer, Mr Ray Ndlela said most of their staff were attending their normal duties although they were facing some challenges. "The request is for Government to address our salaries. US$100 is not enough although we provide most of our staff with transport," he said.

He said there was need for them to have computers since most of their work was manual. At Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases, Director of Health Services, Dr Stanley Mungofa, said for the last three years they had been facing challenges especially that of staff shortages as a result of the brain drain.

Other challenges included transport since their fleet was grounded, equipment, power cuts, linen which was torn and laundry machines which were not 100 percent functioning.

On power cuts, Dr Mungofa said they had a mortuary and it would not go for long without electricity. He said they had no back up generators.

He said since most of the people with HIV and Aids were treated at their hospital, there was need for them to have more benches and wheel chairs for those who would be very ill. Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital chief executive officer, Mr Thomas Zigora said the main challenge was that of infrastructure and they were also facing serious water shortages.

"We also have problems of coal supplies. We use about seven tonnes of coal per day," he said.

He said they also had a target to raise drugs and they needed about US$4,9 million and another US$2,3 million to replace equipment.

On linen, Mr Zigora said they needed US$220 000 and that the 13 lifts at the hospital were not functioning.