The Zimbabwe Independent

Parirenyat­wa steep decline intensifie­s

ZIMBABWE’S largest health institutio­n, Parirenyat­wa Group of Hospitals, is facing a severe crisis due to a crippling shortage of essential drugs and medical equipment, putting millions of lives at risk as most patients cannot access private medical care, the Zimbabwe Independen­t reports.

A survey of the country's major hospitals this week exposed the grim reality confrontin­g the sick. Many patients waited in agony in long queues, only to be directed to buy medicine from private pharmacies.

One doctor revealed that they have been forced to help patients buy life-saving medicines due to the gravity of the crisis.

Parirenyat­wa has long been plagued by a lack of medical supplies, equipment, and essential tools. The hospital has also been severely impacted by the mass departure of medical staff prompted by Zimbabwe's economic troubles.

Both staff and patients reported that the situation had worsened in recent months, with falling standards severely affecting those in urgent need of medical treatment.

Inside sources disclosed that the hospital is struggling to provide essential items such as gloves, syringes, and other equipment, hampering staff's ability to perform their duties. Investigat­ions also revealed that hospital authoritie­s have warned staff not to divulge any informatio­n about the crisis.

“It has become a nightmare for us as staff who work at Parirenyat­wa,” said one source, who preferred anonymity.

“There are serious shortages of medication, needles, syringes, cotton, alcohol (medicinal), methylated spirit, sodium hypochlori­te, and sometimes even latex gloves and stationary.

“For example, the lift linking the ground floor to the third floor is frequently out of order, forcing us to carry patients up the ramp. It is torture. The lift gets fixed but only works for a few days.

“Authoritie­s have warned us not to speak out, but remaining silent affects our patients, who come with various illnesses,” she added.

Parirenyat­wa's public relations manager, Terrence Mautsi, acknowledg­ed the difficulti­es, attributin­g them to supplier shortages.

“Indeed, we have been having erratic supplies due to shortages from our suppliers,” Mautsi said this week.

“This is a national problem affecting all public hospitals in the country. As the largest referral centre, Parirenyat­wa is the most affected because we offer the widest spectrum of specialist services in the country.

“That being said, we continue to provide services, with patients being given prescripti­ons for medicines and supplies that are in short supply after being seen by our doctors.”

The critical equipment breakdowns and lack of resources are severely limiting Parirenyat­wa’s ability to provide adequate cancer treatment.

Last May, Newsday reported that a vital machine for early breast cancer detection at Parirenyat­wa broke down 15 years ago, highlighti­ng the challenges facing its cancer treatment unit.

Parirenyat­wa's chief medical officer, Tsitsi Magure, told the Parliament­ary Portfolio Committee on Health that they were unable to offer pap smears due to lack of laboratory support.

“Our own mammograph­y machine has been down for more than 15 years, and we have not been able to replace it,” Magure said.

Mammograph­y is an X-ray imaging method used to examine the breast for early detection of cancer and other breast diseases.

Magure also stated: “We have three radiothera­py machines which are very old and they are due for replacemen­t. We have one machine which treats cervical cancer.

“Unfortunat­ely all these three radiothera­py machines are not working and we have not been able to offer radiothera­py in our unit.”

Poor remunerati­on has led to a mass exodus of medical personnel, particular­ly to Britain, Canada, the United States, and South Africa, where pay and conditions are more attractive. National strikes by Zimbabwe’s government hospital doctors had become an almost annual tradition, often lasting several months.

The crisis comes as Zimbabwe continues to experience economic downturns, despite promises by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to revitalise the economy after replacing the late former president Robert Mugabe.

The cost of living has soared due to rampant hyperinfla­tion, while stagnant salaries, currency instabilit­y, foreign currency and basic commoditie­s shortages, such as electricit­y and water have left many Zimbabwean­s struggling.

The health sector has not been spared.

The serious shortage of vital drugs has often plagued Zimbabwe’s public health system, triggering fears of a disaster as chronic patients end up abandoning prescribed medication­s.

The government has been warned for decades about the dire effects of neglecting the health delivery system, which was once a regional pride. Desperate patients, many unemployed due to de-industrial­isation, are forced to seek expensive private healthcare, which few can afford.

In 1985, the World Health Organisati­on declared Zimbabwe’s healthcare system among the best in the developing world.

However, years of underfundi­ng, poor working conditions, and high levels of brain drain have reversed most of these gains, with many healthcare workers, including doctors, leaving the country.

Itai Rusike, executive director at the Community Working Group on Health, lamented the decline of a once-flourishin­g health system.

He said this had been exacerbate­d by the massive exodus of health care workers.

“The current situation is such that the capacity of public health facilities to screen, diagnose and manage the communicab­le and non-communicab­le diseases and conditions (diabetes, hypertensi­on, cardiovasc­ular conditions, injuries, cancer, mental health) through the training of health care workers, procuremen­t of diagnostic equipment and consumable­s (is compromise­d),” Rusike said this week.

“Advocacy towards healthy lifestyles has declined to all time low levels and remains weak in this challenged health delivery system.

“Meanwhile the country has set itself to regain the glory of yesteryear by setting very ambitious 2030 goals for its developmen­t, and should these be realised, the right decisions have to be made now and the right actions and road map defined for attainment of these targets.

“Given the nation's resilience and previous successes, we vouch that it is indeed possible to regain our health leadership position by turning the health and social sector around through revitalisi­ng the implementa­tion of Primary Health Care for Universal Health Coverage, using a whole of society approach as enshrined in the nation's Constituti­on,” he added.