The Sunday News
Teamwork is the ability to work together towards a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments towards organisational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results (Andrew Carnegie).
The above statement aptly sums up what has been happening in Bulawayo in terms of mobilising resources to equip health centres amid the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of organisations such as I am 4 Bulawayo, individuals based locally and in the diaspora have since last year been working round the clock to equip local hospitals.
I Am For Bulawayo — Fighting Covid-19 is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together medical professionals, the business community, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), churches, academic institutions, the Zimbabwean Diaspora and the Bulawayo community at large, to mobilise resources (human, financial and material) to fight against Covid-19 in Bulawayo and surrounding areas. The organisation has mobilised equipment for Ekusileni Medical Centre, which is however, yet to reopen.
Nonetheless, a lot of work has been done at Ekusileni and Thorngrove Infectious Disease Hospital, which is another facility earmarked for Covid-19 care. Last week, Thorngrove received state-of-the-art equipment worth US$81 000 which included 10 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, 30 manual beds, 30 hospital bedside lockers, hospital cardiac tables and resuscitation trolleys from the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA). OSISA also donated personal protective equipment for frontline workers among other hospital consumables.
Although local hospitals still need touch ups to meet all the requirements, the good thing is patients have somewhere to be admitted to when the need arises. Thorngrove became the second public hospital in Bulawayo to cater for Covid-19 patients after United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH)’s Old Bartley Memorial Block (BMB) which opened at the end of last year.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube last week revealed how nightmarish it was for Bulawayo, as the city braced for Covid-19 while resource-constrained. Minister Ncube said unity of purpose helped Bulawayo escape a “Covid-19 tsunami” after health institutions were renovated.
“Last year, we were taken by surprise when Covid-19 broke out, I don’t think Dr Edwin Sibanda (BCC Bulawayo Health Services director) and his team enjoyed their sleep. They were worried where to admit those who would be affected by Covid-19. Although we took a position that we should refurbish one institution we were afraid of what could happen if the worst came to the worst.
“But what I’m grateful about is that as Bulawayo we agreed that we invite God in everything we did. We agreed to seek guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us and we escaped the Covid-19 and you can actually feel God’s grace,” she said.
Dr Sibanda commended the seamless co-ordination among citizens in rehabilitating health centres.
“We have to congratulate Zimbabweans, people of Bulawayo for actually coming together to make sure that at least we have somewhere where we can manage patients, somewhere decent and reasonably equipped for the level of care that the hospital is designated for.
“We know we can have ICU with ventilators across the city but the majority of the people may not need ventilators and Mater Dei Hospital is available for those who can afford and UBH is on the way to be a state-of-the-art hospital with ability to attend to severe to critical cases.
“We hope that the synergy between the two hospitals and the coming in of Ekusileni Medical Centre will probably ensure that there are enough ICU beds for the city.
“Therefore, in case the third wave hits us we will not be afraid as we were before,” he said.
