Zimbabwe’s fight against COVID-19 continues to hit
turbulent waters after it emerged that council nurses who form part of the
frontline workers against the deadly virus are threatening to down tools over
government’s failure to provide them with personal protective equipment (PPE).
Council nurses from Harare and Gweru have given notice to
down tools over lack of protective clothing, which is key to their safety when
attending to patients infected with the novel virus, which has killed several
health workers in most developed economies worldwide.
Harare nurses have written to council health services
director Prosper Chonzi advising him that they could not continue with their
duties without protective clothing.
“Our members are severely incapacitated in terms of
protective equipment, so they also fear for their lives,” part of the letter by
the Zimbabwe Urban and Rural Council Nurses Workers’ Union dated April 10 read.
“They have been watching personnel from countries which
have the capacity to provide full PPE, so they are just imagining how they are
going to escape contracting this deadly virus when they have very minimum or no
PPE.”
Harare nurses have downed tools many times before demanding
protective clothing to be able to handle COVID-19 patients. Doctors have also
been making similar demands.
Government was on Tuesday ordered by the High Court to
provide health workers with protective clothing, but the Health ministry
accused Treasury of delaying in releasing the money needed to buy the PPE.
The ministry said it required about US$2 million for the
needs of medical staff in the fight against the virus. Gweru City Council
nurses also said they lacked PPE to handle the virulent disease.
Douglas Chikobvu, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe
Professional Nurses Union, yesterday said nurses could not risk coronavirus
infection.
In their demands, the nurses listed space suits
(disposable), googles, elbow length gloves, outer coats, gumboots, N95 masks,
face shields, disposable head gear and surgical masks.
Chikobvu said the demands were genuine because hundreds of
health workers abroad had died in the line of duty after attending to COVID-19
patients without proper protective equipment. “We stand with the Gweru council
nurses in their demand for PPE,” he said.
“There is general chorus and outcry countrywide from nurses
in city council health centres, government and even well-established private
hospitals, sonorously crying in splintered voice for the availability and
provision of PPE so that nurses can discharge their duties effectively and
efficiently.”
He said because of failure by authorities to avail the PPE,
the nurses had “called for the upholding of standards operating procedures in
containing the global epidemic”.
Chikobvu said nurses had been resigning from council health
centres due to the absence of PPE.
A visit by NewsDay to most of the council-run clinics in
Gweru showed there was skeletal staff at Mkoba Polyclinic, Senga, Mkoba 13 and
Mtapa.
But Gweru council spokesperson Vimbai Chingwaramusee
claimed the nurses were adequately equipped.
“It’s a lie. Our nurses are working and we provided them
with protective clothing. We are also procuring more protective clothing to
ensure their safety,” she said. Newsday
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