Bindura (Nehanda Guardian-New Ziana) – The Bindura provincial hospital is failing to establish a high dependency unit, also known as the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), because of accommodation shortage for specialist doctors.
This was said by the Provincial Medical Director (PMD) Cremence Chuma recently.

He said there was no suitable accommodation for doctors supposed to man the unit, and as a result this was forcing the hospital to send patients in critical condition to nearby Harare.

But despite the alternative, this was still causing avoidable deaths in the province, he said. The hospital received a green light to establish an ICU facility a long time ago.

“However, specialist doctors do not have accommodation within the hospital’s premises or vicinity, they are forced to drive from wherever they stay outside Bindura, to come here,” Bindura hospital superintendent, Budirirai Gwagwa said.

“In some instances they come and in others they do not come due to incapacitation and that is hindering the unit to come into full force.”
More than 4 000 births are recorded at the hospital a year, an average of 400 through caesarean procedures.

“There is also obsolete bio-medical equipment at this hospital; we need to have it re-tooled so that we can improve our service deliveries,” Gwagwa said.

Nehanda Guardian-New Ziana