…identifies North West clinic as isolation center
Staff reporter
As the country grapples with yet another cholera outbreak that has seen Masvingo province recording one case so far, Masvingo City council has since identified one of its health centers as an isolation center in case of an outbreak in the city.
The local authority has resolved to make its newest health center, North West Clinic the isolation center owing to its closed sanitary disposal system.
This was revealed in the Health, Housing, and Environmental Health Services Committee meeting minutes held on March 20 2023.
“The Chief Environmental Health Officer reported that there was one confirmed case of cholera in Masvingo. It was noted that Northwest Medical Clinic was earmarked as the Cholera Isolation Centre due to its closed sanitary disposal system which helps reduce the spread of the diseases in the event of an outbreak,” read the minutes.
The minutes also added that The province’s referral hospital, Masvingo Provincial Hospital pledged support to the local authority in an event of an outbreak in its locality.
“It was reported that Masvingo Provincial Hospital also pledged to assist council with staff, supplies and other related services in the event of a cholera outbreak,” read part of the minutes.
As at March 15, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said the province recorded one case in Chivi district with the patient having been admitted at Chivi District Hospital.
The first case in Zimbabwe was recorded on February 13 and the country has recorded 98 cases with a recovery percentage of 99 with only one death which is said to have happened before getting into the country.
A budget worth millions of United States dollars has been set aside by the government of Zimbabwe as part of cholera epidemic preparedness response plan with also support from various development partners like World Health Organization (WHO) pledging to support part of the budget.
