GOVERNMENT has procured a fleet of 100 new fully equipped ambulances that are set to be deployed to healthcare facilities throughout the country.
The first batch of the specialised vehicles is set to be
delivered in August, with each province receiving between eight to 10
ambulances when all have been delivered later this year.
The procurement was finalised last week, with the first
batch of 50 expected in August. All the vehicles are set to be delivered by
November. Zimbabwe currently has a fleet of 134 functional ambulances and 148
which are non-runners.
The country requires a ground fleet of at least 200 fully
equipped ambulances and a handful of air ambulances for medical emergencies
where the distance does not allow for use of a road ambulance.
Government set aside $590 million in this year’s National
Budget for the procurement of the life-saving vehicles.
Ministry of Finance and Economic Development spokesperson
Mr Clive Mphambela told The Sunday Mail that an ambulance supply deal has since
been concluded between a foreign supplier and the Ministry of Health and Child
Care.
“The contract between Ministry of Health (and Child Care)
and the supplier was signed this past week,” he said.
“In terms of expected delivery, the supplier should deliver
the first batch of 50 ambulances within three months from date of contract.
“The second batch will be delivered three months after
delivery of the first batch.
“So, if all goes according to the agreement, the country
should expect the first 50 units by end of August 2021, with the other 50
ambulances expected by end of November 2021.”
A study on emergency and ambulance service commissioned by
Government in 2018 established that owing to the shortage of ambulances, nearly
30 percent of road traffic accident victims die before reaching a healthcare
facility.
The study also established that transit time for patients
in ambulances ranges between four to five hours, leading to unnecessary loss of
life.
All Government ambulances, the study revealed, lacked basic
equipment including oxygen, delivery packs for pregnant women in transit,
resuscitation equipment, masks, intravenous lines for drips, intravenous stands
and trolleys.
The study recommended that all 63 districts in the
country’s health system should have at least two functional ambulances and
qualified personnel.
Ministry of Health and Child Care is in the process of
establishing an ambulance services directorate that would ensure every part of
the country has access to ambulances for emergency services.
Speaking at a recent event in the capital, Vice President
Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care,
said the new ambulances will be deployed to all district, provincial, central
hospitals and selected tollgates along major highways.
Procurement of the vehicles, he added, was the first step
in Government’s programme to stablish an effective ambulance system that was
focused on attendance to emergencies and disasters.
“Casualty collection is a key capability in modern public
health systems designed to mitigate effects of pandemics such as Covid-19,
endemic-prone diseases, disasters such as Cyclone Idai, communicable and
non-communicable diseases, maternal emergencies and road traffic accidents.
“The guaranteed availability of purpose-built patients’
transport goes a long way in the reduction of mortality rates in the country,”
he said.
Government recently received 20 ambulances and ancillary
medical equipment donated by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the
government of India.
Presenting the 2021 national budget, Finance and Economic
Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said: “In this regard, the NDS1 provides a
commitment to revamp the public health infrastructure, covering upgrading and
construction of health facilities, installation of medical equipment,
procurement of ambulances and utility vehicles.” Sunday Mail
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