PLUMTREE A serious shortage of medical doctors continues to haunt Plumtree District Hospital amid reports the referral hospital has been operating with only two doctors out of a possible four.
Although Matabeleland South provincial medical director Tapiwa Murambi declined to comment over the reported shortage of medical personnel in the province saying he was on leave, residents said the two medical doctors were overwhelmed by the number of patients at the hospital.
At one time last year, the hospital operated with one medical doctor, a situation that resulted in patients having to wait longer before being attended to.
They have brought another doctor though we still feel there is a need for three (additional) doctors to ease pressure at the hospital and enable patients to be attended to within a convenient time, said a resident. Last year, residents raised concern over alleged high death rate due to the shortage.
Sindile Napa claimed he lost his brother on August 31 last year after he was admitted, but remained unattended for five days following a bout of high blood pressure.
In the five days he was admitted he was not attended to. It might have been due to shortage of doctors or negligence by the staff, I do not know. But, the truth is I lost my brother easily, just like that, he said.
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Residents said people frequent the hospital for emergencies, but to get a doctors attention is a mammoth task because of the high demand.