THE reported decay at Tsholotsho District Hospital is one of the many manifestations of the lethargic nature of the government’s approach to its obligations to provide health for all in Zimbabwe.
There is no doubt that the Tsholotsho Hospital is not the only one bedevilled by such challenges, but the extent of neglect is a cause for serious concern.
Last week Health and Child Care deputy minister Paul Chimedza came face to face with the problems at the hospital, which authorities say is on the verge of collapse.
The hospital has reportedly gone for two years without running water and patients as well as staff have to rely on Blair toilets.
Equipment at the health institution was described as archaic and constantly breaks down. Food and drug shortages such as anti-retrovirals and stationery are a permanent feature. The hospital has a shelter for expectant mothers who travel from deep inside Tsholotsho, but it is overcrowded.
Power outages are an order of the day and this means that bodies that are kept at the mortuary rot before relatives could collect them for burial. Tsholotsho Hospital, with a capacity of 140 beds is by no means a small health institution, and for it to operate for two years without running water borders on criminality.
The usual excuse would be that the government is broke, but the real reason for this neglect is lack of priorities. Chimedza suggested that the hospital should be shut down because it has become a danger to patients.
However, closing down the hospital would only result in more suffering for the people of Tsholotsho as that means they would have to travel as far as Bulawayo to seek treatment.
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The only solution is for the government to intervene and provide funding to rectify all the problems that Chimedza was briefed about and ensure that the hospital does not crumble any further.
From the briefing the deputy minister got, it was clear that the hospital has a leadership crisis as authorities appeared too eager to blame everyone, but not themselves for the sad state of affairs.
Therefore, Chimedza should ensure that the government’s intervention is not only about providing the resources, but also strengthening management systems at the institution.
