The Government has started working on the initial processes to resume theatre services at Beitbridge District Hospital after the facility and equipment worth an estimated US$3,5 million was destroyed by fire on Monday morning.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr John Mangwiro said yesterday said the hospital was a crucial facility which needed to be attended to urgently.
Fire broke out in the theatre recovery room around 10am on Monday destroying equipment and infrastructure.
It also damaged stores in the rest of the 20-room theatre complex.
So far, the local hospital authorities are urgently seeking replacement equipment and stores from the provincial hospital in Gwanda so that the health facility can resume work quickly.
In an interview, Dr Mangwiro said the hospital was a strategic health facility for Zimbabweans and travellers from Sadc transiting through the Beitbridge Border Post.
“We are seized with addressing service delivery deficiencies at the Beitbridge District Hospital where theatre services have been disrupted by a fire that broke out at the hospital on Monday,” said Dr Mangwiro.
“So our infrastructure development team is carrying out the necessary assessments which will then guide us on what needs to be done to resume services.
“We want to quickly restore normal medical services at the institution considering that this hospital is strategically located.
“It serves the community in that areas and thousands of the regional and international travellers who use the Beitbridge Border Post daily”.
He said he necessary resources will be mobilised and availed on time.
The hospital carries out an average of five small theatre operations a day, including around 30 Caesarian deliveries a month.
Beitbridge District Medical Officer Dr Lenos Samhere said they were still putting together a Bill of Quantities (BOQ).
“We are also wait for the deployment of equipment from our provincial hospital for use at our small theatre at the out patients’ department,” he said.
“At the same time we advising expecting mothers mostly those who usually deliver through the C-section to travel to strategic areas where they will be able to get theatre services.
This will minimise their challenges as we make concerted efforts to revamp the theatre complex”.
Friends of Beitbridge Hospital spokesperson, Mr Nqobile Ncube said they were closely following the situation on the ground and that their assistance will be guided on the Government’s plan.
He said they were eager to see normal services being restored at the health institution.
The organisation is made up of multi stakeholders including corporates who are in the midst of repairing the broken down fleet of vehicles at the hospitals including ambulances.
“We are closely following the situation and our assistance will be guided by the national Government’s plans.
“This facility is strategically located and we wish to see it up and running as soon as possible,” said Mr Ncube.
The 140-bed hospital is a referral centre for nearly 300 000 residents in the town and the surrounding rural area of the district.
In addition, it caters for close to 15 000 people in transit through the Beitbridge border post daily and scores of patients from neighbouring Gwanda, Mberengwa and Mwenezi districts.
The hospital sees 350 babies delivered each month. – The Herald
