The hospital in Masase Pictures: Mats Lagergren ……………………….. Partner Church in Zimbabwe

The hospital has 101 beds and one of those who works here is Emely Zibanga who is Sister in charge and who has considerable responsibility at the hospital. She came here in 2008 from another of the church’s hospitals, which is situated in Mnene.

Thando Ncube is the doctor at the hospital in Masase and his name, appropriately, means love. He is 26 and graduated as the best student when he qualified as a doctor in Harare in 2010.

Like many on the staff Thando Ncube lives in staff accommodation right beside the hospital. Since he is the only doctor he can count on being called to the hospital at all times of the day and night. He has no family and there aren’t many of his age here, but he says that he loves his job.

The hospital has seven different units in total and needs vary including everything from TBC, hiv/aids, pneumonia and other infectious diseases to surgery, delivering babies and a considerable childcare programme. Thando Ncube says that the most difficult thing is when he doesn’t have access to the right medicines or when the electricity fails so that the oxygen stops working. In such situations he has to compromise and find alternative solutions. Then you have to sharpen your senses and think “outside the box” he says.

Patients at the hospital come from the entire Mberengwa-distriktet and a considerable number live 30 kilometers from the hospital which they walk to …

… travel by the type of ambulance as we are used to or

in one powered by four donkeys – well suited to the worst roads.

One of the units is for women who are about to give birth and who arrive from several weeks or up to a month before their due date. They live together and support each other and have regular check-ups up to the birth.

This is Sister Simari who is in charge of the pharmacy and she says that there is never enough medication, but it is clear that they perform amazing deeds with their limited resources.

The waiting room is outside and most people choose to sit in the shade in a Masase which is often hot during the day.

Sister Dube recives, examines and vaccinates the small children. Everything is entered into the records and followed up.

Hiv and aids are always present at a hospital in Zimbabwe and at a laboratory blood tests are examined. As well as healthcare considerable resources are spent on education.

Hope is emphasised, particularly in the most difficult of situations.

Mable S Dube – here with Munatsi Dube who is general secretary of ELCZ – is hospital chaplain in Masase.

Her working day starts at 7.30 with morning prayer in the hospital chapel and it is full to bursting. The majority of the congregation are the pregnant women who are at the hospital for a longer period of time.

According to good Zimbabwian tradition the service continues with hymns outside the church where the blessing is delivered after some time.

My office is called the office of tears says Mable S Dube who sees her most important task as one of talking to the patients, those who take care of the patients and worried and grieving relatives. Everyone has burdens to bear and she wants to help then to understand and accept. The grieving in particular she always finds room for in her office. It is better that they cry there than out around the hospital. She reminds us of the hospital motto which is preach, teach and heal.

Mable S Dube says that she distributes absolution and communion. Some of those who come have left the church and receive absolution before they die. She even baptised one woman before she died so that she could be buried as a Christian.