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| Masvingo provincial Covid-19 taskforce members including its chairperson Ezra Chadzamira (with hat) are seen at the isolation centre at Silveira Mission in Bikita back in April |
Ratidzo Munembi
Preparations to turn Mashava Mine
Hospital into a full-fledged Covid-19 isolation centre are advancing, with one
wing of the health facility now ready to take in some patients, TellZim News can
reveal.
The hospital, situated in the
Gaths Mine, can accommodate over 300 people when fully-equipped and is currently
ready to absorb some pressure in case of a great emergency.
Masvingo Provincial Information
officer (PIO) Rogers Irimayi, who also chairs the risk communication
subcommittee of the provincial Covid-19 taskforce, said work was being done to
make sure the hospital became fully ready.
“Work on one wing of the hospital has
already been completed and work on the rest of the wings is underway. We are
confident the work will be completed very soon so as to make the hospital ready
for any possible spike in the number of coronavirus positive cases this winter,”
said Irimayi.
He said he was pleased because
completion of preparations will make Mashava Mine Hospital the biggest
isolation centre in the whole province.
“We have other isolation centres
in all the districts of the province so the provincial taskforce has been
working hard to increase capacity and the quality of care that can be provided there.
Mashava Mine Hospital will take us a step further in our capacity to care for
Covid-19 patients in a hospital setting,” said Irimayi.
The provincial Covid-19
taskforce, which is chaired by the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial
Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira, has also announced plans to establish
another isolation centre at Sango Boarder Post in Chiredzi South to cater for
those coming from Mozambique and South Africa with severe symptoms.
As on June 14, the province’s
isolation centres were largely empty as its 49 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were
mostly asymptomatic. When a case is asymptomatic, the person is released to
self-isolate at home with some supervision from the Ministry of Health and
Child Care.
The province currently has 10
isolation centres in all the seven districts at Silveira Mission Hospital (Bikita),
Mashoko Mission Hospital (Bikita) Bikita District Hospital (Bikita), Rupangwana
(Chiredzi), Chiredzi General Hospital (Chiredzi), Chivi District Hospital
(Chivi), Gutu Mission Hospital (Gutu), Rujeko Clinic (Masvingo Urban), Neshuro
District Hospital (Mwenezi) and Ndanga District Hospital (Zaka).
