By A Correspondent- Residents of Bulawayo have been angered by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s ministry of health decision to evict trainee nurses from Mpilo Central hospital hostels.

The government on Friday evicted the student nurses from their hostels to allow for renovations following a recent fire incident that gutted a doctors’ residence at the referral centre, destroying property worth US$500 000.

The fire was blamed on the facility’s lack of maintenance.

The government last week said it had set aside $299 million to facilitate repairs at the doctors’ hostel.

“The notice of the eviction of nursing students from Mpilo Hospital is a sad development, particularly because the notice says they must leave with immediate effect.

“This creates problems particularly for those who have no alternative accommodation in Bulawayo,” said Descent Collins Bajila, a member of Volunteers Team 2020.

“We understand these renovations are due, and were supposed to happen; however the timing of the renovations could have been scheduled to coincide with situational circumstances such as when the students are out on attachment.
“It would have been possible to do this without the students being at school.

-NewsDay