adminConrad Mupesa Herald Correspondent
Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital shares power supplies with neighbouring residential areas rather than using a dedicated power supply as an emergency service, and is therefore badly affected by load shedding.
Without the standard dedicated power lines that most hospitals enjoy, the major referral hospital for Mashonaland West province has even been asking patients to bring fuel for the hospital’s generator, which needs 300 litres a day, to facilitate operations.
The power issue came up during a workshop organised by Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) on strengthening women’s advocacy for inclusive governance structures.
WCoZ Mashonaland West coordinator Jane Mazhambe said the challenges affecting the province’s health sector needed women’s participation and concerted efforts since they were the ones bearing the brunt of the challenges.
“As women, we have to engage Zesa and Government so that there is a dedicated power line for the hospital,” she said. “The hospital is the main referral centre for the whole province and starving it of electricity is not good.”
Makonde District nursing officer, Margaret Gapara, told the gathering that power cuts were also crippling operations in the maternity and paediatric wards.
“It is common sense that the health institutions should have a dedicated power line to facilitate its smooth running and to help save lives,” she said.
She urged non-government organisations to assist in proffering alternative power sources for the 422-bed hospital.
The meeting also suggested that each constituency deduct a fraction of the constituency development funds to mitigate the challenges at the hospital.
But Chinhoyi MP Peter Liwanda said constituency development funds had been eroded by inflation and were already inadequate.
The hospital’s medical superintendent, Collet Mawire could not be reached for comment.
Last year he said the hospital was failing to run its generator which uses 300 litres of diesel daily, which was affecting operations in departments such as intensive care unit, renal, neo-natal unit and operating theatres which had life support systems that run on electricity.
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