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NewsDay

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Parly to audit hospitals

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KADOMA — The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health will soon appoint an audit committee to inspect the state of the country’s hospitals following allegations of drug pilferages at the institutions. Speaking at a public hearing on health in Kadoma last week, a patient, Timson Mafurere, said he was forced to buy bandages from a member […]

KADOMA — The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health will soon appoint an audit committee to inspect the state of the country’s hospitals following allegations of drug pilferages at the institutions.

Speaking at a public hearing on health in Kadoma last week, a patient, Timson Mafurere, said he was forced to buy bandages from a member of staff at a government hospital where he was getting his wounds dressed.

“The nurses and hospital staff force us to buy medicines from them which they would have stolen from the hospital. I was asked to buy a bandage for $2 from the sister-in-charge after she told me they did not have any at the hospital,” said Mafurere.

Allegations of hospital staff stealing from hospitals and later selling the drugs to patients dominated the public hearing on hospital fees in Rimuka, Kadoma last Thursday.

Portfolio Committee chairman David Parirenyatwa told NewsDay an audit would be carried out at all public health institutions to investigate the allegation.

The former Health minister said the claims were not new as they were raised during his tenure of office as a government official.

“This is a real concern and as a committee we are going to have an audit around the country to deal with these issues,” said Parirenyatwa.

“During my days as minister, I would go round visiting all the hospitals in the country and would force nurses and other hospital staff to open their lockers. This, to a large extent, deterred staff from stealing drugs from the hospital pharmacies.” .