Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
MATABELELAND North is sitting on a health time bomb as the province’s health facilities are operating without oxygen tanks and negative pressure rooms which are key in the event of emergencies such as Covid-19.
This was revealed during a tour of health facilities by Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro in Victoria Falls on Sunday.
Dr Mangwiro who was accompanied by chief director curative services in the Ministry Dr Maxwell Mareza Hove and Victoria Falls mayor Councillor Somveli Dlamini among others, toured Chinotimba Clinic, Victoria Falls Hospital, Mkhosana Clinic, Zimbabwe Aids Project Clinic and ZRP Clinic ahead of roll out of a massive vaccination exercise for the city yesterday.
Dr Mangwiro said it was disastrous not to have a Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Victoria Falls Hospital, whose oxygen is also stored in Hwange because of the lack of an oxygen tank.
The country’s first Covid-19 case was recorded in Victoria Falls although the patient was only isolated at home.
Two clinics in the city were used as isolation centres hence no effort was made to furnish the hospital’s ICU for Covid-19.
Matabeleland North is the only province without a provincial hospital where such facilities could be available.
The Roman Catholic Church-run St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane is used as a provincial hospital while cases needing specialised care are referred to Bulawayo.
Dr Mangwiro said Victoria Falls Hospital needs a 10-tonne oxygen tank, adding that Government was immediately upgrading the existing ICU and high dependency unit to ensure safety of both tourists and locals.
The existing ICU has no oxygen outlets and negative pressure room which Dr Mangwiro said was dangerous in the event of an emergency.
A negative pressure room sucks air with a virus and channels it out where it is burnt at high temperature and released into the atmosphere when it is sterile.
“We don’t have an ICU for Covid-19 here and we are creating one now where we are going to have six ICU beds. But for it to be functional we need negative pressure which is also not available and I hear the whole province doesn’t have. Funds for Covid-19 are readily available and can be accessed through the taskforce.
“The ICU is a specialised ward and negative pressure sucks out any infected air and takes it out where the virus is burnt and released after being rendered sterile. Nurses will refuse to work in an ICU if there is no negative pressure because they will get infected,” said Dr Mangwiro.
Dr Mangwiro said Victoria Falls Hospital should be well equipped to be able to deal with emergencies as a tourist destination.
He implored the Hwange district medical officer Dr Fungai Mvura to immediately write a requisition letter to the procurement department through the provincial taskforce. — @ncubeleon
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