PROMINENT blogger Tendai Ruben Mbofana has petitioned health authorities to institute an independent inquiry into the treatment and death of his mother at Gweru Provincial Hospital last year, alleging possible negligence on the part of hospital staff.
In a letter dated January 24, 2026, addressed to Midlands provincial medical director Mary Muchekeza, Mbofana said his 77-year-old mother, Anastacia Takazvida Mbofana, died on the morning of October 4, less than
24 hours after being admitted to the female surgical ward the previous afternoon.
According to the complaint, Anastasia had been referred to Gweru Provincial Hospital for specialist assessment after being diagnosed with bowel obstruction.
Mbofana alleges that at the time of admission, his mother was clinically stable, though in pain and that her condition was not classified as an emergency by medical personnel, including a specialist surgeon who examined her on the afternoon of October 3.
However, Mbofana argues that the explanation later provided for her death — respiratory complications arising from pleural effusion leading to multiple organ failure — raises serious concerns about the adequacy of monitoring and care at the hospital.
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He said his mother had a documented respiratory history, having been diagnosed with pleural effusion approximately three weeks prior to her admission and undergone a chest drain.
Medical records, including a chest X-ray taken shortly before her transfer, reportedly showed compromised lung function and were available to hospital staff upon admission.
“My mother was referred to Gweru Provincial Hospital not because she was terminally ill, but because she had been diagnosed with bowel obstruction requiring assessment by a specialist surgeon based in Gweru,” Mbofana wrote in the letter.
“At the time of admission, she was clinically stable, albeit in pain. Her surgery was not classified as an emergency, and no immediate life-threatening concerns were raised by the medical personnel who examined her, including the specialist surgeon who saw her on the afternoon of admission.
“The official explanation later given for her death was respiratory complications due to pleural effusion leading to multiple organ failure. This explanation raises serious and troubling questions regarding her monitoring and care.”
Mbofana is questioning whether routine respiratory monitoring, including blood oxygen saturation testing, was conducted and documented.
He further alleges that, unlike during previous admissions at Kwekwe General Hospital and a private clinic, where his mother was consistently placed on oxygen therapy, oxygen was not administered at Gweru Provincial Hospital.
“Despite this known condition, it remains unclear whether basic and customary respiratory monitoring, specifically blood oxygen saturation testing using a pulse oximeter, was conducted.
“In her previous admissions at Kwekwe General Hospital and Topomasi Clinic, she was consistently placed on oxygen therapy.
“At Gweru Provincial Hospital, there is strong reason to believe that oxygen therapy was not administered despite her documented history.
“While I fully appreciate the resource constraints facing our public health institutions, these concerns go beyond funding limitations and point to matters of discipline, systems management and professional duty of care.”
Mbofana further questions why an ordered X-ray was not performed, adding that there was no radiography services.
He also questioned whether staffing levels, handovers and overnight supervision met required standards.
“These issues, taken together, suggest possible failures in clinical protocol, monitoring, staffing accountability, and basic standards of care,” Mbofana wrote.
“Upon admission, the specialist surgeon explicitly instructed that my mother undergo an X-ray. However, the radiographer could not be located, repeated attempts to contact her failed, and the procedure was deferred to the following morning.
“This represents a serious administrative and operational failure, particularly in a provincial referral hospital, and may have deprived clinicians of critical diagnostic information.”
Contacted for comment, Muchekeza said she had not yet received the letter.