Zimpapers Logo

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

Beitbridge district hospital is currently operating with a 1980 staff establishment which has resulted in human and material resources to cater for patients being overstretched due to its location in Sadc and country’s busiest port of entry and increased annual population growth.

The District Medical Officer, Dr Lenos Samhere told the Matabeleland South Civil Protection committee on Wednesday that there was an urgent need to review the state of affairs.

The CPU team led by provincial development coordinator, Mrs Sithandiwe

Ncube visited the border town to assess the state of affairs of selected facilities to handle COVID-19 related cases.

The 140-bed health institution is a referral for the 250 000 local population, an additional daily transient 15 000 travellers and several others from its bordering districts including Mwenezi and Gwanda.

In addition, it is a referral centre for 17 primary health clinics all relying on six doctors and 138 nursing staff.

“We appreciate the Government’s efforts to increase resources and staff to the hospital during this period where we are all focusing on containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Samhere.

“However, the hospital is strained in terms of resources due to the increased demand for services and its location in a transit town.

“You will note that we are having an old staff establishment model which has not been reviewed for some time.

“Our nurses and doctors are being overstretched because we don’t only

deal with the local populations, but we have those in transit and those from neighbouring districts.

“In addition, we are handling an average of 350 (babies) deliveries monthly which more than what the provincial and other district hospitals are handling. We are in the range of major referral centres like the United Bulawayo Hospitals”.

He said the status quo of at the district hospital was also affecting resources allocation from national Government.

The official appealed to the CPU to push for the upgrading of the institution and allocation of more resources in line with obtaining demands.

Dr Samhere said their staffers were also facing serious accommodation challenges due to limited space at their few allocated houses.

“We have started receiving more nurses and Environmental Health Technicians (EHTs) to boost capacity in terms of human resources,” he said.

“So far six nurses have arrived and we expect more with an additional 17 EHTs, but accommodation remains one of the major headaches.

“Those that are already here are renting from private properties in local suburbs where rentals are charged in Rands, which is beyond the reach of many considering that their salaries are in local currency”.

The Herald is reliably informed that some of the challenges at the hospital include lack of vehicles and ambulance, poor electricity supply, limited tools for medical staff and perennial water supply challenges.

Though the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Obadiah Moyo promised to send a team to assess the situation at Beitbridge following pleas by local residents and legislators, little progress has been made on the ground.