Food poisoning: villagers discharged

Plumtree Correspondent
THE 40 villagers from Khandamhlophe Village in Bulilima District who were admitted to Plumtree District Hospital on Tuesday after consuming poisoned meat were discharged yesterday.
The villagers fell ill after eating poisoned beef which they bought from a fellow villager.
However, it has emerged that the villagers were not able to foot the $950 charged for their medication.

The councillor for the area, Clr Zoolakes Nyathi said the villagers were too poor to raise the required fees.
“The whole group of villagers has been collectively charged $950 for their two-day hospital stay. Some of them made it clear that they cannot clear their hospital bills and said they expect the owner of the beast to pay,” said Clr Nyathi.

He added: “Some of their families have up to eight members. The owner of the animal has shown cooperation and is willing to assist those families who cannot settle their bills.”

Clr Nyathi said some villagers had not fully recovered but opted to be discharged to avoid further hospital charges.
He said the rest of the villagers sought treatment at a local clinic in Ndolwane.

“Some of the patients were still dizzy and feeling dehydrated when they were discharged but they indicated that they wanted to avoid further costs at the hospital. Those who could not make it to the clinic on foot were transported.

“All the affected villagers have now received medical attention and we expect things to normalise now,” said Clr Nyathi.
He said there was a need for an awareness programme to teach communities about the dangers of consuming poisonous food.
The programme is slated for next week.

“We will be holding a village conscientisation programme on Tuesday next week which will be facilitated by health experts. They will be educating villagers on the dangers of eating unhealthy foodstuffs,” said Clr Nyathi.

He said two of the patients were adult males and the majority were children and women.
The villagers fell ill on Thursday last week after eating poisoned meat which they bought from a local villager.