Patients queue as water crisis hits hospital

So bad is the situation that patients sometimes queue for water as early as 5 am at a tap close to their wards. During the day nearly all taps at the institution run dry and there are no boreholes to supplement water supplied by the City Council.

Most patients are now relying on water brought to them by their relatives and there are strong fears of outbreak of disease at the province’s sole referral medical centre.

"We are relying on water brought to us by our relatives because the hospital seems to have no plans to avert the crisis,” said one patient.

In addition the hospital has run out of important drugs and even bandages, with patients being ordered to buy them at private pharmacies. Even pain killers have not been available for the past week.

Masvingo provincial medical director Robert Mudyiradima confirmed that all was not well at the hospital but referred further questions to the superintendent Juluis Chirengwa who could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print.

Masvingo mayor Hubert Fidze said he was aware of the water crisis at the hospital and council was in the process of constructing a water pipe dedicated to supply the institution. "We are in the process of trying to come up with an uninterrupted water supply to the hospital because the situation there at the moment is not good," said Fizde.