NURSES at the country’s main Covid-19 isolation centre,
Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital, are resigning as morale hits rock bottom
in the crucial health sector, which is in the frontline of Zimbabwe’s response
to the deadly disease.
This follows revelations that the government has released a
paltry ZW$100 000 to Harare City Council, which runs Wilkins and Beatrice
infectious diseases hospitals, where Covid-19 patients are being treated.
Bulawayo’s Thorngrove Isolation Centre is also facing
shortages of protective wear for health staff. Wilkins already had a low staff complement, resulting in
the health professionals working overtime with minimal resources.
Four nurses, who were working at the facility, resigned
last week, with three more indicating this week their plans to also leave.
The nurses are leaving for better opportunities, including
those that have arisen at new Covid-19 response centres, including St Anne’s
Hospital in Harare’s Avondale suburb and Arundel Hospital in Mount Pleasant,
formerly Rock Foundation Medical Centre, which are offering remuneration in
United States dollars. The facilities are paying around US$75 per day.
“People have been really trying, but after working so much
we are getting peanuts. The morale is really low. Right now, we are closed and
yet to open again when the renovations are finished, but there is nothing to be
excited about. We just got our peanuts,” a source at the hospital said.
“The staff here have not been getting any allowances and
have been working with limited protective clothing. Some people decided that it
is better to leave and go where they are paying in US dollars. Four nurses left
and only 16 remain, but three more will be going soon.”
Zimbabwe Nurses Association secretary- general Enock Dongo
said there is need for more training for nurses on the disease to improve
treatment and care as well as prevent infection.
“There is the issue of training on Covid-19 as it is new
and not known by people, including the frontliners who have layman’s knowledge
of the disease, yet the public expects more from them. The government should
quickly increase the number of people being trained,” Dongo said.
“We still need more PPE (personal protective equipment).
There is no institution with enough PPE. As an association, we are looking for
well-wishers to provide the protective clothing so as to help stop the spread
of the coronavirus.”
Dongo called on government to avail more resources towards
fighting the virus.
“We want to see the money they were talking about on the
ground. This is the time to walk-the-talk. Nurses need risk allowances because
they are at risk, if you are exposed to patients suffering from the infectious
disease you also need a well-balanced diet to boost your immune system. Nurses
can’t afford that at the moment,” he said.
Dongo applauded health personnel at Wilkins and other
public medical facilities who have been operating without proper protective
clothing, exposing themselves to infection.
Health director in the City of Harare Dr Prosper Chonzi
said the local authority was waiting for health personnel to be seconded to
Wilkins and Beatrice from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, for an
effective coronavirus response.
“The staff we have is not enough. We spoke to the minister,
Obadiah Moyo, and he said that he got the go-ahead to unfreeze posts. So we are
waiting for them to second nurses, doctors, pharmacists, health officers and
other personnel,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chonzi said the authorities were looking at ways
of increasing the Covid-19 test rate, which is currently at 96 tests per day.
The World Health Organisation has recommended that African
countries increase their test rates so as to contain the spread of the disease.
Zimbabwe recently received a donation of 20 000 laboratory
diagnostic test kits from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma and his Alibaba
Foundation, as well as 100 000 face masks and 1 000 protective suits and face
shields.
“There is need for more testing, at the moment we have PCR
(Polymerase Chain Reaction) test kits and it takes about five hours for results
to come out. What we want now are the rapid test kits which give results in
about 20 minutes,” Chonzi said.
Zimbabwe has eight confirmed positive cases as of
yesterday.
The city authorities are however still awaiting funds from
government after they received only ZW$100 000, compared to the US$6,7 million
they had requested.
“There has been some improvement in support from central
government, that should be commended. However, the ZW$100 000 is not enough, we
need to transport our staff to work, and give them allowances. We also need to
get more protective clothing and other essentials. It would be better maybe if
the PPE can be procured by the central government so that we focus on the other
requirements,” Chonzi said.
Meanwhile, Wilkins Hospital, which has been closed for
almost two weeks for renovations, is set to re-open this weekend.
The hospital recorded the first Covid-19 death last week on
Monday, with the family of the deceased, Zororo Makamba, fuming over the lack
of medical treatment and care at the main isolation centre.
The Makamba family said Zororo failed to get the level of
care that could have saved his life as the hospital did not have a ventilator
or even oxygen. Furthermore, the family said there was no power socket to plug
in a ventilator bought by the Makamba family.
Chonzi told the Zimbabwe Independent that the hospital’s
intensive care unit (ICU) was now being set up to admit Covid-19 patients who
would need close monitoring.
“We are in the process of installing equipment and we now
have from the donation of protective clothing and other things in place,”
Chonzi said.
“We are setting up the ICU and we have five ventilators in
place, the oxygen is now flowing and some of it is going to be piped and we
have capacity for about 54 of those who will need oxygen. We are also setting
up the beds and installing monitors.
“Apart from the ICU, we now have capacity for up to 100
patients and are also looking at creating more space at Beatrice Infectious
Diseases Hospital.”
However, the facility is yet to get an intensive care nurse
and anesthetist.
The Bulawayo City Council’s Health Services Department yesterday
said although no cases of Covid-19 had been reported, consumables were urgently
needed.
Khulamuzi Nyathi, the assistant director in the department,
revealed that a patient with Covid-19 symptoms is currently admitted at
Thorngrove Isolation Centre in the city, while awaiting test results.
He said the city was in dire need of consumables such as
oxygen, gauges, tubes, masks and about five ventilators to be able to respond
to cases that might pop up.
“In terms of the ladder, we are a primary health care
provider courtesy of our clinics and other health care facilities that we have
as a council. We need the consumables, most importantly, the protective
clothing, about 5 000 suits, gloves, masks, and other things so that we can be
able to respond to any call that is linked to Covid-19,” Nyathi said.
He said the local authority had deployed environmental
health officers to follow up on more than 1 000 travellers who entered the
country destined for Bulawayo.
“We have been following up on 1 125 travellers who came
into the country through ports of entry in and around Bulawayo. We have been
checking them to see whether they have any symptoms of Covid-19. I am happy to
note that from the reports on these travellers, we have not yet recorded any
positive Covid-19 case in the city from those that we have tested.
“Last month alone, we conducted tests on about 50 people
under the Rapid Response initiative that the department initiated. Twenty-three
of those people fitted the case definition of Covid-19. Twenty-one results came
back with negative results while the other two (results) are yet to be sent
back from the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory in Harare,” Nyathi
said. Zimbabwe Independent
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