adminMarvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
SERIOUS water shortages facing Gwanda Town have seriously affected operations at Gwanda Provincial Hospital, a development that has seen patients being referred to Bulawayo for medical attention. When Chronicle visited the hospital yesterday, some people were seen carrying buckets and gallons of water for consumption by their relatives admitted to the hospital.
“We have no choice but to bring water from home. We don’t understand how a hospital is supposed to operate without reliable water supplies. Something should be done to correct this problem,” said Ms Tsepiso Mdlongwa from Spitzkop.
She said the water that she had brought to the hospital had also been collected from a council bowser.
“I don’t even know if this water is safe for any patient but there is nothing we could do,” said Ms Mdlongwa.
Some patients said water shortages had seen some of them having problems in taking their medication as expected.
“At one time we had no water such that I failed to take my pills,” a patient told Chronicle on condition of anonymity.
Some patients said they had gone for days without bathing and were no longer comfortable to have people around them.
“The toilets are in a very bad state and the situation is unhygienic. It would have been better if I had stayed at home because the environment here is no longer friendly,” said another patient. Some patients said they had resorted to bathing at a nearby river.
The staff at the hospital kitchen said they also had difficulties in cooking food for the patients as at times they run out of water.
The wards are being cleaned regularly as expected due to water shortages while the vegetables grown at the hospital nutrition garden also suffered from moisture stress.
Contacted for a comment, the Matabeleland South Provincial Medical Director, Dr William Busumani, said they had tried to engage Zinwa over the issue but to no avail. He said some patients were being referred to Bulawayo because of serious water shortages facing the hospital.
“We also have loads of dirty linen accumulating. Our patients need to bath but it’s now a challenge because only have one hour of access to running water. It is really impossible to work under such circumstances and we don’t understand why Zinwa is cutting water supplies to hospitals,” said Dr Busumani.
He said the hospital was seeking Government intervention on the issue.
“We have since approached the Minister of State responsible for the Province Cde Abedinico Ncube to come to our rescue,” said Dr Busumani.
Gwanda Town has for the past two weeks been facing serious water shortages after Zinwa introduced a stringent water rationing schedule over a $5million debt it is owed by the town council. Some residents have gone for about two weeks without running water and have been heavily relying on council bowsers.
Online Reporter