More demand for hospital beds as Covid cases increase

By Robin Muchetu

There has been a surge in the demand for hospital beds due to Covid-19 in some of the country’s major health centres with patients having a torrid time accessing medical help as the institutions are full.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana shared these sentiments on microblogging site Twitter in a series of tweets.

“To put our situation into perspective, you see we recorded nearly 500 positive new cases in two days. If it so happens that these new cases need a hospital bed, then you can see how we can easily run out of beds. And in those two days we have lost nine people and much more in a week,” he tweeted.

In another tweet he said: “We hear UK beds are overwhelmed by Covid-19. Well, that’s them, they say in SA hospital admission thresholds are now quite high — that’s them. But let me tell you about our own situation, don’t catch the virus if you can avoid it. We are being overwhelmed and overrun by this virus,” he wrote.

Added Mr Mangwana, “We are really in it, those who doubt should call any hospital including private ones and hear what they will be told. Our capacity to admit other patients is extremely diminished.”

In Bulawayo, privately run Mater Dei Hospital said they were capacitated to admit Covid-19 patients and were charging US$5 020 for admission in the intensive care unit while those admitted into the high dependency unit have to part with US$3 020 upon admission.

Care from a specialist when one is admitted is also charged separately for Covid-19 patients at Mater Dei.
United Bulawayo Hospitals, which has been reserved for Covid-19 admissions in one of its wings, said they still have bed space for patients at their institution.

“We are taking Covid-19 patients, we actually have space on the veranda for overflows,” Dr Narcisus Dzvanga who is the hospital’s acting chief executive officer said. The Sunday News