HARARE, Jul. 17, (NewsDay Live) — Hundreds of Starlink kits installed at rural health centres under the government's ambitious digitisation programme are now gathering dust as the parent ministry dithers on subscription payments.
This emerged in the National Assembly this week when Health and Child Care minister Douglas Mombeshora was grilled by MPs on why the kits have not been activated so health facilities can access network services during emergencies.
Mombeshora acknowledged that more than 400 health facilities have already received Starlink kits, with 300 more facilities to be added to the list, stating the ministry was negotiating a review of the subscription fee.
"Indeed, we have received those challenges and we are engaging the agents to lower the subscriptions so that we can pay for all those Starlink kits that we will install. I think the negotiations are taking place. We understand they have been too high for us as a ministry to be able to pay the subscriptions. So, negotiations are taking place," he said.
Mombeshora added that he would engage his Information, Communication and Technology counterpart Tatenda Mavetera to tap into the Universal Service Fund (USF) to expedite the payments.
In response, Mavetera said the USF currently only supports subscription costs for digital centres and schools for one year, but would consider extending the facility to rural health centres.
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"Like what you suggested, we also need to do the same for hospitals, which I think is worth considering. I will communicate with the Minister of Health and Child Care and find a way for us to also give a provision for subscriptions for hospitals. Currently, the scope is mainly for our digital centres and schools. I am sure it is important that we also extend that to the hospitals as you have suggested," she said.