The lives of patients undergoing treatment including surgical procedures at Bonda Mission Hospital in Mutasa District, Manicaland, are at risk, following reports of persistent power cuts by Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) at the institution.
BY KENNETH NYANGANI
Mutasa Central MP, Trevor Saruwaka (MDC-T) confirmed the development and said the referral health institution should have its own supply line.
“I visited Bonda Mission Hospital last week and authorities at the hospital told me that they are experiencing power cuts regularly. They usually use a generator if there is a power cut, but the generator is not working at the moment,” he said
“Although this is private hospital, the government should give it necessary support because the institution helps people that come as far as Harare and Bulawayo. The government should give all the support to the hospital it requires to benefit the ordinary citizen,” he said.
“As Member of Parliament, I am appealing to the government to save lives. I am urging them to isolate the Bonda supply line from other lines, so that we do not experience power outages. This can treated as a special line, where electricity is not cut off,” he said.
Saruwaka said he is negotiating with Zesa’s district authorities to solve the matter.
Manicaland Provincial medical director, Patron Mafaune, confirmed the development to NewsDay yesterday and said load-shedding was affecting most district hospitals in Manicaland.
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She said they gave Bonda Mission Hospital a back-up generator last week.
“Power cuts are affecting most of our district hospitals, this is because of the rains, but normally we have a back-up generators. The issue is that some electricity poles are falling down due to rains. Yes, Bonda was affected, but we gave the institution a generator last week,” she said.
Efforts to get a comment from Zesa authorities in Mutasa district were unfruitful.
Last year, there were reports that operations at the Anglican Church-run referral hospital had been crippled by critical shortage of staff, equipment and drugs.
