By Blessings Chidakwa
A Kadoma City Council-run maternity clinic in Rimuka suburb has deteriorated with infrastructure in a state of disrepair while there are no water supplies.
Garbage has gone uncollected for some time while the incinerator is not fully functional to burn placentas, attracting dogs which want to feed on the waste.
A recent tour of the clinic with the city’s directors and clinic staff, residents as well as business community left everyone shocked.
The Sister-in-Charge only identified as Sister Nyathi explained to the visitors the dire situation at the centre.
“Our wards do not have windows, therefore during the rainy season we struggle to keep our patients warm and away from the rain.
“Our beds have outlived their usefulness. One of our major challenges here is availability of water for use at the clinic. We have had to rely on a bowsers to fill our tank daily making our operations difficult,” she said.
She said the absence of running water also means geysers are not working to provide warm water to expecting mothers and those who had just delivered.
“We have improvised on the incinerator but that leaves the placentas partially burnt. The incinerator is not covered on top, attracting dogs which come to scavenge for the placentas,” she said.
The delegation was shocked to find a heap of partially burnt placentas and garbage, which clinic officials failed to explain.
Kadoma Maternity Clinic has not been spared of staff shortages while buildings are dilapidated and have become an eyesore.
At least 50 expecting mothers are attended to daily at the clinic.
The precast wall and fence have all collapsed raising fears of medicines and clinical equipment being stolen.
Kadoma Residents’ Association chairperson Mr Wikirosi Mutizira said council needed to address the challenges urgently.
Finance director Mrs Faustina Zhou, who was part of the delegation, said addressing the challenges was among council’s top priorities.
She said work on restoring water supplies was currently in progress with a pump being repaired while rehabilitation of the incinerator would be undertaken soon. The Herald
