Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube, [email protected]
THE Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) has condemned the state of infrastructural decay at Ngomahuru Psychiatric Hospital in Masvingo after a patient escaped and was later found dead in the nearby Tugwi River.
B-Metro broke the story of the tragedy last Thursday.
The patient who was in her 30s was found in the river seven days after escaping, allegedly through a broken fence.
ZINA President Enock Dongo issued a strongly worded Press Statement expressing alarm over conditions at the hospital and calling for urgent government intervention.
He said the association was “deeply concerned by reports of deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate security measures, chronic staff shortages and poor working conditions at Ngomahuru Psychiatric Hospital in Masvingo, which continue to place both patients and healthcare workers at serious risk.”
The ZINA president said the hospital’s deteriorating infrastructure, including a damaged perimeter fence, an Acute Ward reportedly on the verge of collapse, prolonged electricity outages and critical staff shortages, had created dangerous conditions for both patients and healthcare workers.
“The hospital’s proximity to the Tugwi River presents an even greater danger. Patients who escape from the institution face life-threatening risks, including drowning or attacks by crocodiles, making urgent improvements to security and infrastructure a matter of life and death,” he said.
Dongo called on authorities to urgently investigate the patient’s death, repair the damaged perimeter fence, rehabilitate the Acute Ward, restore electricity and address staffing shortages.
The association also urged policymakers to prioritise investment in Zimbabwe’s mental health institutions, saying adequate infrastructure, reliable security systems and sufficient staffing are essential to protecting vulnerable psychiatric patients.
Police have since confirmed the incident. Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa said the patient went missing from the hospital around midday on 16 June and was later found dead. He said police are awaiting post-mortem results to determine the exact cause of death, although initial indications suggest she may have drowned.
Ngomahuru Hospital Public Relations Officer Gift Muzondo also confirmed the incident. He referred further questions to acting medical superintendent Dr Piece Marimba, who could not be reached despite five telephone calls by B-Metro before publication.
The circumstances surrounding the patient’s death remain under investigation.
