According to a weekly Covid-19 update for the city, as of
Friday, Thorngrove had 34 patients admitted to the hospital’s isolation wing
against a bed capacity of 28. In an interview with Sunday News, the City Health
Director, Dr Edwin Sibanda said the situation meant patients now had to share
oxygen points, which he said was not ideal. He said the situation could be
worse in the coming few days as United Bulawayo Hospital’s (UBH) Old Bartley
Memorial was also fast filling up.
“Thorngrove has filled up because from a designated
capacity of 28 beds we have 34 patients admitted, which has seen us now having
patients sharing oxygen points, which in itself is far from being ideal. We
are, however, making do with what we have as we noted that not all the patients
can be on oxygen at the same time, therefore they can easily share. What is
worrying is that UBH is also filling up, which if it happens will surely point
to a crisis,” said Dr Sibanda.
According to the figures, UBH which has a designated
capacity for Covid-19 patients of 42, had 40 patients on Friday. At UBH there
are nine severe cases, with four patients in the Intensive Care Unit, according
to Dr Sibanda.
Mpilo Central Hospital, with a bed capacity for Covid-19
patients of 32 has already admitted 14 patients, meaning they can only take in
a further 18. At Elangeni Isolation Centre which takes in those who do not need
hospitalisation, there are 34 patients admitted, with a bed capacity of 70,
while at the Roman Catholic-owned Mater Dei hospital, with a bed capacity of
35, just nine people are admitted, although the private facility charges way
above what the majority can afford.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care as of
Friday the city had a number of suburbs classified as Covid-19 hotspots, with
819 active cases and six deaths recorded on that day. The city also had 39 new
cases. Acting chief executive officer of Mpilo Central Hospital Professor
Solwayo Ngwenya said they were receiving patients in large numbers although
they were not a designated Covid-19 centre.
“At Mpilo we had a ward where we were housing persons under
investigation for Covid-19 and we had no patients generally. Then we started
having four to five patients but this week suddenly the numbers shot up to 20
patients in that ward. These are no longer patients under investigation. As we
speak, we have got these infected people and we cannot take them to UBH or
Thorngrove Hospital because those centres are saying they are full and cannot
take any Covid-19 patients,” he said in an interview on Friday.
Prof Ngwenya said Mpilo was slowly becoming a Covid-19
centre but resources were bound to run out.
“We had to open a new ward to separate the positive cases
and people under investigation. The situation is dire, we will be overrun,”
Prof Ngwenya said. He blamed complacency by the public for the recent spike in
cases.
“Unfortunately, we were affected by complacency, we relaxed
in the last wave, people didn’t see it coming. We lost the plot there. Parties,
bars, and funerals were taking place and the infections got so bad,” he
lamented.
Prof Ngwenya said two weeks ago, they got about eight
people per day but last Thursday alone they got 36 people who were positive for
Covid-19. “These had come for treatment in the outpatient department. This
means they will have used public transport, infecting others too,” he added.
The acting CEO of UBH Dr Narcissus Dzvanga said they were
equally in a predicament.
“The oxygen is also available but the virus is very
unpredictable. One day there are a few patients and the following day 10
patients come all at once. Our biggest challenge is linen, our laundry machine
was never meant for such large numbers as we are seeing now. Both UBH and
Arundel are using a small machine that was not meant for such volumes of linen
such that it is always breaking down. It is down as we speak. We are
outsourcing services as it is. It’s more of ancillary services that are needed.
“We may discharge some and then we think it’s quiet then
suddenly 10 patients come at once. The other challenge is that of human
resources, nurses that had been recruited versus the patients that are coming
does not tally, we now need locum (relief) nurses that can help. The X-Ray
department also cannot cope with the numbers of people requiring the service,”
said Dr Dzvanga.
He said space to accommodate patients may be available but
other resources should also be availed in order for all that space to be
useful. According to figures from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, from
last Sunday to yesterday, the country recorded 7 447 new cases with 134 deaths.
Last Sunday the country recorded 11 deaths, Monday 13 deaths, Tuesday 12
deaths, Wednesday 28 deaths, Thursday 19 deaths, Friday 33 deaths and yesterday
18 deaths. In the week that ended, 26 June, the country recorded 4 390 new
cases with 59 deaths.
Meanwhile, Government has banned all higher learning
institutions from conducting face-to-face lectures following the rise of
Covid-19 cases in some of the institutions. According to a circular to all
principals of teachers’ colleges, polytechnics and industrial training colleges
from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Professor Fanuel Tagwira said
non-resident students have now been barred from attending physical classes.
“The ministry has noted with concern the increase in cases
of Covid-19 recorded in our institutions, particularly the students in boarding
as well as teaching and non-teaching staff. In this regard may you ensure that
all students who test positive be isolated and all those who test negative or
not yet confirmed should be quarantined at the institution, while non-resident
students should stop coming into college. Henceforth, face-to-face lessons are
hereby suspended with immediate effect,” reads the circular.
Prof Tagwira said teaching and learning has to continue
online. On Thursday, Bulawayo Polytechnic put all students in their residency
on isolation after three of them tested positive for Covid-19. The higher
learning institution further barred off-campus students from coming to the
institution so as to contain the outbreak.
According to an internal memorandum to lecturers, ancillary
staff and students, the institution’s principal, Engineer Gilbert Mabasa said
all resident students will isolate at the institution’s hostels.
“Following the testing positive of three resident students
as of last night, the health authorities have advised that non-resident
students stay at home while residents are tested to establish the extent of the
positive cases. Resident students are to isolate in their hostels. Sunday News
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