Mothers and their newborn babies were forced to sleep on thin mattresses on the floor at Sakubva District Hospital last week due to a shortage of beds, Mutare District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr David Muchirewesi has said.
Muchirewesi
said the hospital had briefly exceeded its bed capacity as patient numbers
surged.
“There was a
moment last week when patients exceeded the available beds and we could not
turn away patients. The extra patients were temporarily put on floor beds as we
worked to mobilise more beds and create space.
“Already an
office space has been converted into a ward taking six beds. The plan to
address this space shortage is being looked at and in the long term we intend
to construct a district hospital. Land has already been identified and
proposals submitted to the Ministry for consideration,” said Dr Muchirewesi.
Muchirewesi
said the hospital records about 120 deliveries per week with 45 being caesarean
sections.
Sakubva is the
only referral hospital serving Mutare urban and rural.
Muchirewesi
added that the hospital has cut maternal deaths from five recorded in 2024 to
just one so far this year and this has increased the number of women who want
to give birth at the hospital. Masvingo Mirror
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