BY PATRICIA SIBANDA BULAWAYO’S Ekusileni Hospital could soon shut down due to serious staff and food shortages, resulting in the institution admitting less than 25 patients at a time.
Ekusileni Hospital chief executive Asbolom Dube confirmed the sad state of affairs to Southern Eye.
A recent report by the Bulawayo provincial medical director Maphios Siamuchembu also confirmed Ekusileni’s failure to attract staff and source enough food for patients.
“I can confirm that the situation is not looking good for us. We, indeed, are facing food and staff shortages and this has made it difficult for us to admit more than 25 patients. We are still waiting for funding for the hospital to keep on moving; otherwise we will be forced to close down because there is no food. We cannot keep patients without adequate resources to sustain them,” Dube said.
“The intensive care unit needs about 30 staff members for it to run smoothly, and we need more doctors and nurses for the rest of the hospital wards.”
The hospital currently has 13 patients, but the situation remains difficult to manage due to food shortages.
Keep Reading
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
“The hospital is open for donations so that we can admit more patients,” Dube added.
Early this year, Dube told Southern Eye that the hospital was not facing any challenges. However, the situation at the health institution suddenly took a turn for the worst following a depletion of health personnel and food shortages.
The hospital was the brainchild of the late Vice-President Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo who wanted it to be a specialist cancer hospital.
The hospital, turned into a COVID-19 centre in 2020 by government, no longer admits COVID-19 patients because of the dire situation it finds itself in.
Officials said if the hospital failed to get funding any time soon, it might be forced to shut down.
- Follow us on Twitter @NewsDayZimbabwe