Squabbles threaten Muswere telemedicine project

A TELEMEDICINE project, initiated by Jenfan Muswere then as Information Communication Technology minister (now Information minister) set for launch next Friday, faces collapse after being bogged down by endless squabbles — and a subsequent lawsuit — among the implementing partners.

While the idea was to provide a platform for availing and extending medical services to Zimbabweans in rural areas in a prompt and cheaper way, the project has run into problems after Brightspace Innovation Technology Solutions (BITS)’s insistence that “payments be split between the South African firm’s local peer and Africawide Zimbabwe (AZ)”, which was duly awarded the US$1,6 million tender.

“This project came out of a February 2022 Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz)-backed USF/RFP/02/12/2022 tender and whose recognised winner was Douglas Chiimba’s company in collaboration with his associate Donald Mangena’s Johannesburg-based firm in June 2023,” a source said.

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