Hospitals demand Covid-19 certificates

Illustration of antibodies (y-shaped) responding to an infection with the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The virus emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and causes a mild respiratory illness (covid-19) that can develop into pneumonia and be fatal in some cases. The coronaviruses take their name from their crown (corona) of surface proteins, which are used to attach and penetrate their host cells. Once inside the cells, the particles use the cells' machinery to make more copies of the virus. Antibodies bind to specific antigens, for instance viral proteins, marking them for destruction by other immune cells, such as the macrophage white blood cell behind the virus.

Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
Health institutions in Zimbabwe are faced with a serious challenge of how to deal with patients who are coming in for treatment as Covid-19 has overshadowed the health delivery system.

As the issue of hospitals demanding Covid-19 certificates from people who want to be treated has been discussed and addressed in Cabinet, medical practitioners believe there is need for a more holistic approach to dealing with the novel disease.

“We will be living with Covid-19 among us for a long time and everyone is scared of contracting the disease. As it stands, hospitals in the private sector are not well equipped to handle Covid-19 cases, our ICU facilities are few and financially we are not able to bear the cost of improving these facilities. Attending to a patient without a certificate means we are bringing an unknown element into the hospital where we will put other patients and staff at risk,” said Dr Prudence Mhlanga, a general practitioner based in Mutare.

While knowing a patient’s Covid-19 status might be important, there have been concerns that the turnaround time for the results is too long which can compromise the certificate’s validity.

Dr Mhlanga said as a solution, hospitals need to be equipped with test kits to ensure that a person is tested at the point of care.

“One is negative at the time of testing but anything can happen from the time they are tested until the day they receive their results, which can be as much as four days. All hospitals, private and public should be aiming to make testing available at the point of care. The same way we test for Malaria, HIV and hypertension, Covid- 19 testing should not be a big deal. The doctors should be able to test a patient as quickly and easily. Unfortunately, it is not so easy. Hospitals do not have test kits and they are not well equipped with the necessary PPEs, critical care staff, equipment and facilities. It will not happen overnight, but with targeted interventions, it can happen,” said Dr Mhlanga.