News / National
Morgenster Hosp shuts down
05 Dec 2016 at 23:02hrs | Views
Morgenster, one of the biggest referral hospitals in the country closed down on Monday after its entire nursing staff staged a sit-in to protest against a four-week power cut and another week without water.
The Mirror is reliably informed that Morgenster has a $137 000 debt which saw ZESA cutting-off electricity.
A visit by The Mirror crew to the Hospital showed that all out-patients were sent away while those admitted in the wards were being attended to by student nurses.
It is thought that the absence of power in turn triggered serious water shortages that saw the hospital drawing water from Munzviru River using plastic containers. There are also fears that the entire mission population is using untreated water as a result of the crisis.
Morgenster is also probably the country's biggest mission with a hospital, a teachers' college, a university, a primary and secondary school, a school for the deaf, a college for pastors and other services.
Morgenster medical Superintended Dr Tafadzwa Muchengwa confirmed the crisis but refused to discuss the matter as he referred questions to the Station Superintended Reverend Emidio Nkomo.
When contacted for comment Nkomo said people were lying that the mission had not paid ZESA debts. He said there were some people in the mission who were not paying their bills.
"Those who tell you should inform you that the issue has been solved, get it from the horse's mouth. It's just that money is a problem to all of us that's why we were failing to pay the bills," said Nkomo.
The Provincial Medical Director Dr Amadeus Shamu said he had been briefed on the situation and although the situation is now under control he was going to hold further discussions with Dr Muchengwa.
"I have been briefed by Dr Muchengwa but I will still need to engage him further to have a better picture. I am however told that the situation is under control. I am sure the Mission is doing something in line with controlling their bills by probably planning to install prepaid metres," said Dr Shamu.
The toilets at the mission were in a terrible state when The Mirror visited as they had not been flushed for three weeks.
Nurses who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were forced to stage a sit-in because the situation of the hospital without water was a recipe for disaster.
"This sit-in is in the interest of our patients and the profession. There is no hospital anywhere in the World that can run without water and we are being forced to do just that. It is better to send patients home than to keep them in an environment where they are bound to get more infections," said a nurse who declined to be named.
The workers refuted allegations that they owed Zesa some money. They said they paid all their Zesa bills through the Mission administration and if there is a debt, it is because the administration is not paying to Zesa.
The Mirror is informed that students at Morgenster Teachers' College were forced to close early as a result of the problem. It is understood the student teachers have since closed although most teachers' training colleges are still open.
The Mirror is reliably informed that Morgenster has a $137 000 debt which saw ZESA cutting-off electricity.
A visit by The Mirror crew to the Hospital showed that all out-patients were sent away while those admitted in the wards were being attended to by student nurses.
It is thought that the absence of power in turn triggered serious water shortages that saw the hospital drawing water from Munzviru River using plastic containers. There are also fears that the entire mission population is using untreated water as a result of the crisis.
Morgenster is also probably the country's biggest mission with a hospital, a teachers' college, a university, a primary and secondary school, a school for the deaf, a college for pastors and other services.
Morgenster medical Superintended Dr Tafadzwa Muchengwa confirmed the crisis but refused to discuss the matter as he referred questions to the Station Superintended Reverend Emidio Nkomo.
When contacted for comment Nkomo said people were lying that the mission had not paid ZESA debts. He said there were some people in the mission who were not paying their bills.
"Those who tell you should inform you that the issue has been solved, get it from the horse's mouth. It's just that money is a problem to all of us that's why we were failing to pay the bills," said Nkomo.
The Provincial Medical Director Dr Amadeus Shamu said he had been briefed on the situation and although the situation is now under control he was going to hold further discussions with Dr Muchengwa.
"I have been briefed by Dr Muchengwa but I will still need to engage him further to have a better picture. I am however told that the situation is under control. I am sure the Mission is doing something in line with controlling their bills by probably planning to install prepaid metres," said Dr Shamu.
The toilets at the mission were in a terrible state when The Mirror visited as they had not been flushed for three weeks.
Nurses who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were forced to stage a sit-in because the situation of the hospital without water was a recipe for disaster.
"This sit-in is in the interest of our patients and the profession. There is no hospital anywhere in the World that can run without water and we are being forced to do just that. It is better to send patients home than to keep them in an environment where they are bound to get more infections," said a nurse who declined to be named.
The workers refuted allegations that they owed Zesa some money. They said they paid all their Zesa bills through the Mission administration and if there is a debt, it is because the administration is not paying to Zesa.
The Mirror is informed that students at Morgenster Teachers' College were forced to close early as a result of the problem. It is understood the student teachers have since closed although most teachers' training colleges are still open.
Source - Masvingo Mirror
