Ndanga District Hospital in disarray

Zaka MP Paradza Chakona has said the Ndanga District Hospital is in disarray as some patients were losing their lives due to the lack of several equipment which might save lives.

Speaking in parliament Chikona said because of the sanctions that this country is experiencing, the health sector is heavily under-funded. "I would like to mention that most health care facilities are running short of medication and equipment mostly to carry out certain tests that are specific to certain diseases," said Chikona.

"I would like to mention that I lost my mother at Ndanga District Hospital just because they did not have a glucometer, which under normal circumstances costs US$60 here in Harare. If I had access to buy that machine at that point in time, I could have saved my mother's life."

He also said he lost his own son almost at the same time just because a hospital failed to test his CD4 count.

"These are practical examples that we see in the health sector and this is continuing on a daily basis. If you visit Parirenyatwa or Gomo (Harare Central) Hospital right now, it is exactly the same thing. We are losing lives; people who are supposed to be alive are dying," he said. "My proposal is that at every Government hospital, if it is possible, let us allow private people to set up pharmacies so that whatever is not available at the hospital, at least somebody can rush and buy that at the pharmacy and save a life."

He said the President spoke about the construction of a hospital for veterans of the liberation struggle.

"However, this hospital is going to be based here in Harare. If you look at it, our war veterans are dotted throughout the country and my proposal is that at every district hospital, we set up a ward which specifically looks after the interests of the war veterans. I say so because most referral hospitals have a ward for the military personnel, which means if a soldier falls ill he/she is admitted into a military ward. I am proposing that we use the same facility for the veterans of the liberation struggle," he said.

He said one other thing that I have also noted is that as much as war veterans are getting pensions for their role during the liberation struggle, the collaborators and some detainees are not receiving anything to that effect.

"I am therefore proposing that in line with the new Constitution which now recognises the three arms of our liberation struggle, that is the war veterans, detainees and the collaborators as veterans of the liberation struggle, that they also receive a token of appreciation by way of a pension for their role during the liberation struggle," he said.