A Chitungwiza Central Hospital memo on the allocation of ballpoint pens to doctors, nurses, and the rest of staff has set tongues wagging with some observers saying the situation illustrates how standards have deteriorated at the national level.
The memo, issued by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Chiwanga, stated that the staff would be given two pens after every three months. Reads the memo:
RE: ALLOCATION OF BALLPOINT PENS
The above subject matter refers.
Please be advised that the allocation of ballpoint pens has been adjusted to be issued after every three months.
The following issuance shall apply with immediate effect.
1. Doctor 2 blue pens
1. Nurse 2 (1 blue ) (1 red)
3. Admin staff 2 blue pens
4. Paramedics 2 blue pen
5. Rest of staff 2 blue pens
Commenting on the memo, Ali Naka, Ali Naka a political activist and Pan Africanist who is allegedly working with the Rwanda government said:
A trajectory which sees nothing wrong with a President commissioning boreholes leads to here. Mnangagwa’s methods are archaic, not for 2022. We can’t even say the bar is too low, there is NO Bar to talk about.
Below are some of the comments on the memo:
Effort Mashumbwa @mashumbwa:
Pfumvudza
Lucio Machiavelli @nduduzo_lucio:
how much is a ballpoint pen in Zim, a thousand Rands?
Chairman Chitepo @NicholasMushayi:
The president is a man of limited abilities and imagination, 5 more years and he is taking us back to 1890
Another one said, “if you see one of the biggest hospitals in the country rationing pens because resources are scarce it’s a sign of disaster. At the same time, the government is investing in carrying multitudes of people to Dubai.”
Chitungwiza Central Hospital is a Government institution that opened in 1984 as a provincial hospital and was upgraded to a central hospital in September 2005.
It is a 500 bedded hospital. The hospital attained ISO (International Organization of Standardization) in 2008.