Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Masvingo Provincial Hospital has been hard hit by a glaring shortage of key staff members, triggering a high mortality rate at the government run health institution.
Authorities at the government hospital said the critical dearth of specialist surgeons had resulted in a sharp increase in the number of deaths recorded on a daily basis because of congestion and backlog at the theatre.
In addition, the hospital can no longer cope with the number of patients admitted on a daily basis due to congestion.
There are calls to construct a bigger referral hospital in order to accommodate more patients and enable the recruitment of more specialist health personnel.
Health Minister David Parirenyatwa last week visited Masvingo Provincial Hospital and conceded there was need for urgent action to rectify the situation.
“There is need to urgently address the situation at Masvingo Provincial Hospital. I have assessed the situation on the ground and there is need for immediate action. The hospital currently has a perilous shortage of key staff members. In addition, the hospital is struggling to cope with the high number of patients being admitted on a daily basis,” said Parirenyatwa.
It remains to be seen whether the broke government, struggling to pay its workers, has the capacity to address the dire situation at Masvingo Provincial Hospital.
Although Parirenyatwa skirted the issue of the high mortality rate sources said some patients with minor ailments are dying due to incessant pressure at the theatre where only one specialist surgeon is operating.