Despite a polling station being established at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, patients here were excluded from voting in the referendum that began and ended on Saturday and called on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to include them in future elections.
“Being sick and admitted in hospital should not bar me from exercising my democratic right to vote,” said one patient at the hospital.
“Although they have told us that there is a polling station outside, not all of us are able to make it to the polling station. I cannot even walk to the toilet and I do not know how they expect me to walk the nearly 100 meter distance to the polling station,” added the patient.
Another patient from Ward C said: “I jokingly told the nurse to take me to the polling station outside to which she replied that they are not on ZEC’s payroll to be carrying patients to go and vote. They are justified but we are asking that our plight as patients is also considered, especially for the general elections that we hear will take place this year.”
Doctors, nurses and members of the public, the majority of whom were visiting their sick relatives, could be seen utilising the polling station to cast their vote in the constitutional referendum.
A guard manning the entrance to the hospital professed ignorance on whether the polling officers had moved around the wards and assisted patients who wanted to vote.
“I have not seen any patients coming out to go and vote but I would like to think ZEC officials did their rounds in the wards and those that wanted to vote should have voted. It is the only logical thing, I think,” said the guard.
Discharged mothers at the hospital could be seen voting and said they were generally satisfied with the short queues and the efficiency by the polling agents.
Post published in: News