News / Health
Patients stranded as hospital's only radiographer dies
15 May 2015 at 11:49hrs | Views
Scores of patients were left stranded at Masvingo General Hospital this week after the death of the health facilities' only radiographer Brighton Vaduma who drowned in a swimming pool at a local hotel in Masvingo on Sunday.
The X- ray and scan department is the most critical at any hospital in modern medicine as it deals with situations of life and death.
The hospital receives between 30 and 40 patients for x-rays and about 15 a day for scans.
The provincial medical director (PMD) Robert Mudyiradima confirmed the death to Masvingo Mirror.
The publication said the department might remain closed or will give minimum services for sometime as it will take time before a replacement is found.
"We had two people in that department and the remaining person will continue to assist until we get a replacement," said Mudyiradima.
However, medical doctors who spoke to the paper said Vaduma was the only qualified radiographer at the hospital with a degree from the University of Zimbabwe.
They said that there was one other person in the department but he was not a radiographer and he could only take x-rays and not scans.
"Vaduma is the only person who could do scans. Scans are more sophisticated than x-rays. Vaduma was the only person who was qualified and could do this at the hospital. We have a serious shortage of radiographers in the country because of poor salaries.
"You get one who has just qualified from college today and after a year he or she is gone.
"Scans are very critical for diagnosis in emergency cases and matters of life and death. Doctors need not depend on information supplied by the patient or their own conclusions, they need more accurate information which has accurate diagnosis," said a senior doctor who declined to be named.
The X- ray and scan department is the most critical at any hospital in modern medicine as it deals with situations of life and death.
The hospital receives between 30 and 40 patients for x-rays and about 15 a day for scans.
The provincial medical director (PMD) Robert Mudyiradima confirmed the death to Masvingo Mirror.
The publication said the department might remain closed or will give minimum services for sometime as it will take time before a replacement is found.
"We had two people in that department and the remaining person will continue to assist until we get a replacement," said Mudyiradima.
However, medical doctors who spoke to the paper said Vaduma was the only qualified radiographer at the hospital with a degree from the University of Zimbabwe.
They said that there was one other person in the department but he was not a radiographer and he could only take x-rays and not scans.
"Vaduma is the only person who could do scans. Scans are more sophisticated than x-rays. Vaduma was the only person who was qualified and could do this at the hospital. We have a serious shortage of radiographers in the country because of poor salaries.
"You get one who has just qualified from college today and after a year he or she is gone.
"Scans are very critical for diagnosis in emergency cases and matters of life and death. Doctors need not depend on information supplied by the patient or their own conclusions, they need more accurate information which has accurate diagnosis," said a senior doctor who declined to be named.
Source - Masvingo Mirror
