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Esinathy Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
THE Government has been urged to avail funds to local pharmaceutical companies to manufacture intravenous fluids for the treatment of cholera.

The country is dealing with a cholera outbreak which has claimed at least 28 people and the outbreak has been declared a state of emergency to allow the country to quickly mobilise resources to contain the disease.

At the moment, the country imports the medicine from other countries while local industries have the capacity to manufacture the drugs if funded.

The country has only two pharmaceutical companies that can manufacture intravenous fluids needed to rehydrate cholera patients.

The chief executive officer of Datlabs, Mr Todd Moyo, said what the country needed was resuscitation of pharmaceuticals with the capacity to manufacture medicine because it is easy to service health centres in response to life threatening emergencies.

He was speaking at the United Bulawayo Hospitals School of Nursing graduation and prize giving ceremony held at the City Hall yesterday.

77 nurses graduated with 68 of them acquiring diplomas in general nursing and nine of them honoured for being qualified ophthalmic nurses.

Ophthalmic nurses care for patients who are diagnosed with disorders of the eyes.

Mr Moyo said Zimbabwe has under-utilised pharmaceuticals and has the ability to manufacture some of the medicines that are imported and be able to deliver at short notice when medicines required to treat outbreaks such as cholera are needed.

“We have got the pharmaceutical large-volume parenteral (LVP) manufacturing plant in Bulawayo that was state of the art but is lying idle at the moment.
What we need to resuscitate that plant is to be assisted with foreign currency to purchase the required machinery,” he said.

“We have started talking to Government and they are willing to assist us going forward but we need to invest in machinery but that needs foreign currency to go ahead and we hope the government will avail funds.”

Mr Moyo said Government should also invest in research and development around medicine to prevent treatment resistance and come up with upgraded technologies to fight such outbreaks.

He said it is time for everyone to tirelessly work together to upgrade the health sector infrastructure to avert the scourges of epidemics and ensure the nation is never in such a situation again.

“This is the time to be working together as a nation and stop any finger pointing as that will not stop the deaths caused by these diseases. The outsiders will come to our rescue only if we are seen to be doing something ourselves. Let us roll up our sleeves and make sure we work together to control the diseases and prevent them from spreading to other provinces,” Mr Moyo said.

He said he has faith in the new Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Obidiah Moyo, since he had proved to be competent during his stay at Chitungwiza Hospital.

“I’m very hopeful because I have worked with our minister before in his various capacities before he went to Chitungwiza Hospital. He is a man who listens and is full of action. It is my hope that he listens to our needs and that we also listen to his needs,” Mr Moyo said. — @esinathy_essira