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| Semi finished isolation centre at Masvingo general hospital |
… As sole Covid-19 isolation centre gets overwhelmed
Terrence Ndowora
Masvingo Provincial Hospital seems to be struggling to complete its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) whose construction work started last year.
The ICU project which will cater for severe Covid-19 patients is now at roof level.
Contacted for comment on the delay of the ICU completion, Masvingo Provincial Medical Director Doctor Amadeus Shamhu said he had no idea when the project would be complete.
“I have no idea on when the ICU would be complete but the Public Works department can assist you with information on when exactly the project be complete,” said Dr. Shamhu.
When the former Vice President Kembo Mohadi toured the provincial hospital last year in June to assess the progress of the construction of the ICU, he was promised that it would be complete in no time but it’s been almost a year now.
Construction of the 21 bed structure was stalled in January 2021 due to lack of construction materials.
Meanwhile, Masvingo’s sole Covid-19 isolation center in Rujeko suburb is reportedly overwhelmed with insufficient oxygen stocks as eight out of its 10 beds are occupied, TellZim News has learnt.
Masvingo Provincial Covid-19 taskforce Rodgers Irimayi confirmed that there are coronavirus patients admitted at the isolation center.
“There are eight patients who were admitted as of June 24 at Rujeko isolation center with Covid-19,” said Irimayi.
Masvingo is one of the provinces in the country with the highest number of active coronavirus cases.
According to statistics availed by the Provincial Medical Director Amadeus Shamhu recently, the district has a surge in the cases of the infection.
“Masvingo urban recorded 17 new positive cases as on June 24, 2021 bringing the total number of cases to 53. More screening should be done in order to identify suspected cases for testing,” said Shamhu.
Colleges in Masvingo have recorded more Covid-19 cases lately, putting the district on the hotspot map for over two weeks.
Masvingo Polytechnic recently recorded a total number of 16 Covid-19 cases on June 23 bringing the total number of active cases to 19 at the same institution which puts Masvingo total of cumulative cases to 3106.
A total of 73 people have succumbed to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic last year.
