“We use water from a shallow, unprotected well. The authorities know about the situation but have never made efforts to arrest the problem and we feel that they are letting us down by not responding to such a situation,” said one of the hospital’s senior staff who requested anonymity. He also said that sometimes staff members are forced to go to the nearby village to fetch water as the well at the hospital runs dry. A tuberculosis patient at the hospital said: “We have to bring our own caregivers from home to take care of us here, but if you do not have anyone to take care of you, like me, you have to tfetch your own water.
Manyame Rural District Council Chief Executive Officer Guta said the council was in dire need of water at the hospital. “Yes it is true to say that we do not have running water since our pump broke down years ago but there are wells that have been dug and we are currently using them as our water sources,” said Guta.