Very disturbing stories have emerged from hospitals with nurses revealing that they are being forced to handle patients (glove-less) with bare hands and not only that, but to also witness operations performed without anaesthetics (for instance one man amputated with neither anaesthetic nor pain killers).

Several nurses from Chitungwiza contacted by ZimEye.com on Thursday confirmed a letter sent to Harare lawyer Fadzai Mahere which reads as follows:

“Hi Fadzi. Please post anonymously.

My sister is a nurse in training at Chitungwiza General Hospital. The stories she always has for us are horrifying to say the least. Patients have to buy their own meds, the nurses work with no gloves etc. Once I offered to buy her some, and she said hazvishandi coz I will be victimised by the rest of the staff vachiti chiita basa racho iwewe. The nurse aides there fetch water in buckets from a nearby well. My sister says one time there was a guy who’s leg was supposed to be amputated but there was no anaesthetic. The surgery went ahead anyway, while the guy was awake. The docs just said, “Shingai baba, taakucheka.” There is no medication for pain, even regular painkillers, such that my sister has often given patients a dollar or two for Ibuprofen, or bought them herself out of empathy. These are just a few examples of the horror she witnesses daily.

*Forgot to add, the patients use shared bed pans, the nurses just throw out the urine and bring it right back for the next patient. Because water is scarce.

Its heartbreaking. I feel sad for mwana wamai vangu, what she has to go through. Thanks.”