Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Reporter
WORK to operationalise Ekusileni Medical Centre in Bulawayo will be done in phases, after the Government identified the centre as one of the first national isolation centres in the country that will be able to admit extreme coronavirus (Covid-19) patients.
The hospital which has been closed for the past 16 years had a fresh lease of life last month with the Government working with non-state actors under the banner; Iam4BYO-Fighting Covid-19 initiative committing themselves to reopen the facility. The hospital, a brainchild of late Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo, has experienced a number of false starts and numerous efforts to re-open the institution whose building is owned by the National Social Security Company (Nssa) have failed. The hospital was opened in 2001 and closed in 2004 because it had outdated equipment.
Two weeks ago, the institution’s acting chief executive officer, Dr Absalom Dube declared that with the availability of funds the institution could admit its first 50 patients within the next three weeks. However, according to a scope of works that have been done since the latest attempt to re-open the facility as presented by Dr Dube it has been revealed that a majority of the works were at low levels, with a few just a few being above 50 percent done. The hospital is even yet to register with the Health Professions Authority of Zimbabwe (HPAZ).
The works that are yet to be done include ventilation extractor servicing and test runs as the hospital was not purpose-built for infectious conditions hence does not permit open window air flow systems. It therefore needs assisted mechanical ventilation, hospital partitioning, theatre lighting and the provision of X-ray equipment.
“While all electrical and mechanical heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment in the theatre is operational, no theatre lights have been installed in all theatres. There is a requirement for installation of six theatre lighting in all the theatres.
“Electrical supply and structural works for the X-ray area is incomplete and will be completed once equipment is installed. We are awaiting release of funds and procurement. There is a need to consider having small mobile X-ray machines for now. The allocated funds will allow completion of works at the Radiology Department,” said Dr Dube.
Further the hospital is yet to get Uninterruptible Power Supply for its administration and theatres as this is critical during the Covid-19 management of cases. A standby diesel electricity generator is required, he said.
“Nust (National University of Science and Technology) is planning on donating solar power installations in future once their five-megawatt plant is approved as back up to ZETDC power supply, funding is also required to connect the two available smaller generators (65kilowatts) at the hospital,” said Dr Dube.
The hospital is also yet to get laboratory equipment with the bedding of the available wards also said to be at 10 percent.
“The wards have 10 adult beds equipped with base and mattresses as well as six paediatric cot beds available with mattresses. A total of 20 adult beds which were resuscitated by New Life Covenant Church require mattresses. Of note is that, there are 33 mattresses in the hospital storeroom with requirements for impervious mackintosh coverings. There is a shortfall of 155 adult hospital beds. Some beds are not ideal for infection prevention control (IPC) protocols.
“Innscor (Africa Limited) has pledged to donate 15 new hospital beds with mattresses, these beds are expected to be available for collection on 15 May 2020, subject to confirmation. The IAm4Byo initiative has pledged to help with taking the responsibility of covering the mattresses with Mackintosh, but it is yet to materialise. While all these efforts are made to resuscitate old beds and mattresses, efforts to buy new set of state-of-the-art medical equipment is ideal as some of the beds are not ideal for an infectious hospital,” said Dr Dube.
In terms of monitors and ventilators the hospital revealed that while three mobile ventilators were donated by Alliance Medical Aid, they needed to source about 47 more ventilators to bring the total to 50 as a start.
“The hospital has two by nine-bed intensive care units (ICU) and each bed has got access of oxygen, vacuum, nitrous oxide and air from the wall sockets. The aim is to kit the hospital in phases with the first phase being having 50 fully kitted hospital beds facility. The number of beds will improve as the funds permit,” said the acting CEO.
Dr Dube further revealed that the hospital is also yet to have a purpose-built incinerator, autoclave machines, ambulance wash bays, wheel or foot baths and accommodation and transportation for staffers. The only works that are nearing completion, at 90 percent are; the connection of the water, where the leaking pipes are being attended to by the contractor who had initially laid them on installations and the provision of medical gases where BOC Gases donated a 10 tonnes reservoir tank with installation and testing in progress.
Water storage facilities and the drilling of boreholes to safeguard the hospital in terms of water cuts, is presently at 70 percent complete with Nust having pledged to drill an additional fourth borehole to add on the available water backup water supply.
“Refurbishment efforts to repair the existing water tanks has not yielded positive results. The water tanks required are for 48 storage hour water supply for patients and a separate water supply for fire-fighting.
“How Mine company pledged to assist with borehole installations including JoJo Tanks reservoir accessories as well as assisting with the connections. A third borehole was sunk with the assistance of West Service stations in conjunction with Heavens Drilling, who provided the submersible pump and casing. Belmont Motors provided the 10 000-litre JoJo tanks,” said Dr Dube.
The work update showed that kitchen equipment installation is at 50 percent complete after a donation from Treger Group Company and Monarch, Holiday Inn while Innscor pledged to donate refrigeration. The pharmacy department is 60 percent complete with the pending work being the need for some structural work to conform to Inter-Agency Pharmaceutical Coordination protocols, drug shelves needs some attention and taps needs to be changed to the elbow operated type.
The hospital is working with a volunteer pharmacist with Nust and the Zimbabwe National Army each expected to second a pharmacist to the institution. Installation of an air conditioning system is 40 percent complete and maintenance work for the internal electrical services is a 20 percent complete with work still in progress as funding has been availed.
The progress report was last week handed over to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Cde July Moyo and the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr John Mangwiro. In receiving the report, Minister Moyo — who is part of the inter-ministerial taskforce, mandated with spearheading efforts to fight Covid-19 in the country where he is responsible for resource mobilisation and leads the Covid-19 response team in Bulawayo said he would be tabling it to Vice-President Kembo Mohadi who chairs the taskforce. The minister said there was a need for all players to work overtime to ensure that the hospital opens as a matter of urgency.