Female patients at the hospital spent a couple of days sleeping on the floor after Ward 2 failed to cater for the influx of patients from Ward 1, which was undergoing renovations. Some patients were discharged because the hospital could not accommodate them. Patients in dire need of medical assistance and monitoring were allocated space on the floor in the adjacent Ward 2.
One of the patients, Violet Simukai from Zengeza, said the hospital should have renovated the wards in summer as it did not have adequate bedding for people to sleep on the floor. “This is a bad time because it is winter. The blankets are too thin and the majority of them are torn,” she said.
Kathrine Mupambanyu from Tynwald, who had visited her sister in Ward 2 said it was unfair for the hospital management to prioritise the image of the hospital over the welfare of patients.
“Our relative has been sleeping on the floor and we feel this is contributing to the deterioration of her health. Renovating the hospital is a noble initiative but the timing is very bad and they should do it in a way that does not inconvenience patients,” she said, adding that they were still being charged bed fees of $8 per day.
The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Obadiah Moyo, is on record saying that the hospital needs more wards and bigger departments as the current facilities were cramped. “We are still at the 1980 levels of staff establishment while the workload has increased,” he said.
With the assistance of private donors and the ministry of finance, the hospital has acquired state-of-the-art beds, lockers, new lighting and serving trolleys, and flat screen televisions for most of its wards.
Post published in: News