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Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
MILKA Moyo (not her real name) is a 26- year-old pregnant woman from Dikili in Tsholotsho District.
She had some complications with her pregnancy and was referred to the caesarian section of Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo.
However, the joy of being a mother was delayed as she was told she had to provide sundries needed for the operation to be successful.
Nkosi Ncube(15) from Mbembesi on the other hand was involved in an accident and doctors recommended that he had to undergo surgery at the same institution.
He was told to provide his own gloves, betadine, suture material, catheter, antibiotics and a urine bag.
This is the situation prevailing at Mpilo Central Hospital as the institution’s theatre departments are in a dire situation.
The referral hospital, one of the biggest in the country, has run out of many essentials forcing the administration to ask patients to provide their own.
In the maternity department insiders revealed that there was a serious shortage of basics.
“For the past weeks the maternity department does not have Lignocaine, an aneasthetic drug, suture material, disinfectants, and even packs to deliver patients,” said a source.
The source further said the central sterile supply department was also facing challenges as equipment was being ferried to United Bulawayo Hospitals for sterilising as the one at Mpilo was not functioning.
Mpilo Central clinical director Mr Solwayo Ngwenya confirmed that they were facing challenges in some of their departments.
“Government hospitals as you know are facing a lot of challenges all around the country. Patients are having to buy their own sundries in some instances as we cannot provide all that they need. This is because of the unavailability of finances to equip our hospitals. We use the funds that patients pay to keep the hospital afloat,” he said.
Mr Ngwenya said they were particularly concerned with referral patients that are coming from faraway places who are incapacitated.
“You find a person coming from as far as rural Tsholotsho and they are not financially equipped to pay anything, we then waiver things like theatre fees for them and we provide to the best of our ability other sundries that are needed so that we help them,” he said.
He also said such people get supplies like blood for free as they were incapacitated to purchase even a pint of blood to save their lives.
Asked on how Mpilo Central Hospital was planning on aiding the situation, the clinical director said they were asking for assistance from donor organisations and individuals who can assist in order to complement Government efforts.
He said even those patients who are able should provide some sundries that can be used.
Mr Ngwenya said Mpilo Central Hospital’s aim is to provide universal access to health care for everyone especially people coming from rural areas.
He said the administrators at the hospital have been fire fighting all these months to try and make the situation manageable.
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