Chronicle EditorGeorge Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Masvingo General Hospital is set to open the first-ever public renal unit in the province, bringing relief to thousands of patients battling to access dialysis services.
The province, currently relies on a renal unit run by the privately-owned Makurira Memorial Hospital.
However, patients with kidney complications in Masvingo are forced to travel to Harare or Bulawayo to access cheaper dialysis services at State-run hospitals.
Private hospitals charge at least $140 for a dialysis session, compared to $40 at public health institutions.
Masvingo provincial hospital medical superintendent Dr Julius Chirengwa yesterday said the renal unit was almost ready for opening.
“We are now doing final touches to the renal unit that will cater for two people per session. Everything should be in place very soon,” he said.
Dr Chirengwa could, however, not reveal the exact dates
when the renal unit would start admitting kidney patients.
He said the opening of the renal unit would bring relief to thousands of kidney patients who endure long distance travels for the services.
“The machine was installed a long time ago and the remaining touch ups are actually on the building where the renal unit will be housed,” he said.
Dr Chirengwa said training of personnel that will man the renal unit was also on course.
He, however, said it was difficult to estimate the number of people suffering from kidney aliments in the province.
“We need to get a register of people seeking dialysis services for us to be able to estimate the number of kidney patients because at the moment most of these patients are getting treatment outside the province,” Dr Chirengwa said.
Work on the Masvingo General Hospital renal unit had stalled amid reports of red tape and administrative bungling by management at the province’s biggest health institution.
The commissioning has been delayed due to tampering of key components of the dialysis machine sourced from China under a government to government agreement last year.
There are fears that some parts of the dialysis machine were stripped under unclear circumstances around May this year.
The components were eventually recovered paving the way for resumption of work at the renal unit.
Masvingo provincial medical director, Dr Amadeous Shamu recently conceded that delays in operationalising the renal unit at Masvingo General Hospital was partly due to management failure at the health institution.
He, however, apportioned some of the delays to financial challenges to send personnel who will man the unit for training.
Dr Shamu said further delays were due to the theft of the key components of the dialysis machine at the hospital.
The machine has since been assembled following the recovery of the missing components.
A renal unit is a critical to most major health facilities and assists patients with mal-functional kidneys to remove toxic substances from the body.
People with diseases such as diabetes and hypertension also require dialysis on a regular basis and the majority of people cannot afford the exorbitant fees charged in the private sector.
Online Reporter