Harare Central Hospital resumes operations

Harare Central Hospital yesterday claimed that it had resumed all surgical operations after receiving adequate stocks of essential drugs at the weekend. The referral hospital had last week suspended surgical operations due to an acute shortage of drugs such as morphine, pethidine and antibiotics.

An internal memorandum signed by the hospital's head of the a anaesthetics department, Harunavamwe Chifamba, confirmed the drugs shortages and suspension of operations.

Chifamba could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The resumption is after Zanu PF legendary spin doctor Professor Jonathan Moyo accused Harare Central Hospitals of having a sinister motive in suspending surgeries indefinitely.

On Sunday, Bulawayo24.com revealed that the referral hospital suspended all surgeries citing the critical shortage of resource on Saturday.

In an internal communication, the hospital said it had run short of painkillers, namely pethidine, injectable morphine, fentanyl, adrenaline, metochlopramide, sodium bicarbonate and some antibiotics, making it difficult to manage patients in pain and avoid infections after surgery.

However, Moyo said the authorities are being mischievous.

"Yes Harare Hospital needs between $8m and $12m per year for surgeries but timing and release of this memo are sinister!" he posted Tuesday on his official twitter account.

On Monday, the Zimbabwe Medical Association said Parirenyatwa hospital had no water from 9 am.