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Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter

Government continues to monitor the state of hospitals which will accommodate Covid-19 patients, with a view to ensuring that everything is place and the country is ready to deal with any surge in positive cases.

Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro yesterday toured Parirenyatwa Hospital, Corporate 24 and St Anne’s as part of ongoing tours.

He was in Marondera and Hwedza on Saturday, as part of a delegation led by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga assessing the facilities’ preparedness.

“We picked a lot of weaknesses in some areas and we are moving around to assess and help them out in what they are doing,” said Dr Mangwiro after touring Parirenyatwa yesterday.

“In Marondera yesterday (Saturday) we found out that they can have a potential of 10 intensive care unit (ICU) beds. We are emphasising that any place which is going to be handling Covid-19 cases, all frontline health workers must always be protected.

“Where there is an ICU, the ventilators sort of breathe out lots of the Covid from the patient, so that area is very sensitive in that nurses and doctors will walk in.

“Other workers like dieticians and physiotherapists will also walk into that room full of Covid.

“The most important thing we are advising people to do is to have negative pressure where this air which is contaminated is sucked out, but is not thrown necessarily in the atmosphere.”

Heaters that suction air from coronavirus patients could heat up to 80 degrees Celsius, making it difficult for the virus to
survive.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga (right) speaks to Mvurwi Provincial Hospital medical superintendent Dr Samuel Takawira on Saturday during his tour of Mashonaland Central to assess the province’s readiness to combat coronavirus. — Picture: Tawanda Mudimu

To protect health workers and everyone, Dr Mangwiro said they saw it necessary to introduce air curtains, which means no air comes out of treatment rooms into corridors.

At both Marondera and Mahusekwa hospitals, the assessment team saw it necessary to introduce taps that could be switched on and off using elbows.

Mahusekwa has a potential of 10 ICU beds, and already has four ventilators, while Marondera has two ventilators.

Massive work is being undertaken at Parirenyatwa where engineers assured the Government that the facility would be ready for use soon, with painting of the wards expected to start on Wednesday.

Parirenyatwa has potential for 28 beds in the ICU and 425 beds in total to accommodate Covid-19 patients.

Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital has potential of 10 ICU beds and can take up to 160 people.

Vice President Kembo Mohadi (left), who also chairs the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Techology Professor Amon Murwira (right) and other stakeholders tour Lupane State University which is set to be used as a quarantine centre on Saturday. Picture: Eliah Saushoma

Dr Mangwiro applauded the private sector for participating in the fight against Covid-19.

He said Corporate 24 has capacity for two ICU beds and five ordinary beds and they were almost ready to take in patients.

St Anne’s is at an advanced stage and has seven machines and potential for 10 ICU beds.

The facility can take up to 100 patients.

“We want to thank them for their efforts and as a ministry we are making sure that they abide by the strict rules recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” said Dr Mangwiro.

“Our biggest weakness in the provinces is that people were using oxygen cylinders, so we need to have proper installation of huge tanks which can take up to 20 to 30 tonnes of oxygen because we understand that Covid patients need lots of oxygen for them to be able to recover quickly.”