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Daniel Nemukuyu Investigations and Special Reports Editor

The High Court has ordered Government to ensure all frontline health workers at public institutions have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and to conduct extensive door-to-door Covid-19 testing to prevent and contain the pandemic.

This follows an application by the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) which claimed most doctors, nurses and other health officials at public institutions were operating without enough masks, gloves, plastic aprons and other protective equipment.

In the application, ZADHR listed the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Obadiah Moyo, Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube and the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Joel Biggie Matiza as respondents.

Government and the ZADHR reached an agreement and crafted a consent document that was yesterday endorsed by Justice Joseph Musakwa as an order of the High Court.

Justice Musakwa, sitting with Justice Owen Tagu, directed Government to put in place adequate measures to prevent, contain and treat Covid-19.

The courts said Government shall ensure, within the limit of resources, that: “All frontline health practitioners working at public health facilities in the country, or deployed to trace contacts exposed by infected people are provided with adequate personal protective equipment.

“Sufficient testing kits are deployed at all designated public hospitals, airports and ports of entry.

“Extensive screening and testing be carried out including mobile door-to-door testing in order to account asymptomatic carriers . . .”

The court also ordered that appropriately equipped quarantine and isolation facilities are established in all provinces, district hospitals and at the designated airports and other ports of entry.

Health practitioners and personnel at the frontline must be regularly screened and tested of Covid-19 and they must be adequately trained on how to handle Covid-19 and protect themselves from the risk of contamination.

Police officers, soldiers, Zupco bus crews and others offering an essential service during the lockdown, according to the court order, must be regularly tested and have their vehicles disinfected at all times.

According to the urgent application filed at the High Court, the frontline health workers were said to be at great risk of contracting and spreading the disease.

“Some of the health workers reside in communities where they share accommodation with other citizens. We cannot account for the activities of those whom they share premises with and their contacts and there is risk of contracting the virus from the nature of their accommodation facilities given that there is no rapid testing, screening or treatment of symptomatic cases,” the lawsuit reads.

In their submissions, the doctors said the essential services workers with whom they shared public transport were not subjected to tests and screening, exposing them to possible infection.