A man from Dewure Farming Area in Gutu who was shot and
severely injured by Police is stuck at Gutu Mission Hospital after he failed to
raise money to buy fuel for an ambulance to take him to Masvingo.
The requirement for Isheunesu Chiwara of Farm 351 to
provide fuel for an ambulance is one of the many nightmares faced by the poor
as a Zimbabwe’s health system continue to collapse.
The officer-in-charge at Bhasera ferried Chiwara and some
members of his family to Gutu Mission Hospital. Police in Masvingo is no longer
making comments to The Mirror.
Swimming fishMake your business swim. Advertise with The
Mirror from as little as a USD$1.00
However, Chiwara’s mother, Stella Mahachi confirmed the
incident in an interview.
A senior hospital official who declined to be named also
confirmed the story and described Chiwara’s injuries as very serious. He added
that patients including women in labour are buying fuel for ambulances although
maternity is for free.
The official said to add to the woes, Gutu Mission which is
the biggest hospital in the populous district does not have an ambulance of its
own and it depends on Gutu Rural District for all its emergencies.
Mahachi said Chiwara was shot by Constable Mudziro, one of
the four Police officers who had gone to the farm to arrest Chiwara and his
brother Misheck for an alleged physical brawl at Chmungai Business center on
Saturday evening. The shooting incident happened on Sunday morning.
After the incident, Chiwara was taken to Chimombe Rural
Hospital and was referred to Gutu Mission. The doctor at Gutu Mission in turn
referred Chiwara to Masvingo Provincial Hospital this morning but the patient
is still stuck at Gutu after failing to raise US$30 for fuel for the ambulance.
“My son was referred to Masvingo Provincial Hospital this
morning but we are stuck. The ambulance has no fuel and I have been asked to
raise US$30 which I can’t get,” said Mahachi.
Mahachi described the shooting as callous. She said that
Chiwara was shot although he did not resist arrest.
“The cops arrived at home at 7am and Chiwara was sitting on
a stone. The only thing that he did when Police approached him is to stand up
from where he was sitting and Mudziro withdrew a pistol from his pocket and
shot him from close range.
“The cops even went on to assault him even after he was
lying down injured. It took us hours to find transport to the nearest clinic
where he was only given antibiotics and transferred to Gutu,” said Mahachi. Masvingo Mirror
0 comments:
Post a Comment