Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke in Gweru
Gweru Provincial Hospital has launched a special trauma surgery week aimed at clearing a backlog of orthopaedic cases as the referral institution battles rising injuries linked to road traffic accidents and mining activities in the Midlands Province.
The initiative, which began this week, is targeting at least 30 patients with fractures and other bone injuries that have remained untreated due to limited theatre space and shortages of specialised surgical implants.
Head of Surgery at the hospital, Dr Brian Paketh, said the province continued to record high numbers of trauma cases because of major highways and extensive mining operations.
“Gweru Provincial Hospital is the referral centre in Midlands Province and we are inundated with trauma cases,” he said.
“We have major road networks passing through the province and these are sites of many road traffic accidents. We also have a lot of mining activities that result in serious injuries, which need to be managed at this hospital.”
Dr Paketh said delays in treating patients were often caused by pressure on theatre space and shortages of implants required to stabilise fractures.
To address the challenge, the hospital introduced the trauma week concept, where theatre time is dedicated specifically to trauma patients who have been waiting for surgery.
“So far, we have managed 18 patients and we are targeting at least 30 by Saturday. The major cases we are handling involve hip fractures, knee fractures and upper limb fractures,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Health and Child Care provided funding for the procurement of implants, while private sector players also came on board through public-private partnerships to support patients requiring surgery.
