State of Covid-19 preparedness shocking

In about eight weeks it will be a year since the first case of Covid-19 was detected in the country.

This means the Government of Emmerson Mnangagwa has had ample time to fix any problems in the health sector.

Some of these problems have to do with remuneration for health professionals, providing adequate personal protective equipment and equipping public hospitals.

There have been opportunities to learn from other countries, both from the African continent and beyond. There are medications that are recommended for people infected by the coronavirus and how much of it needs to be in stock for a certain population size.

Both the World Health Organisation and local health experts have tabled, to Government, the ideal necessities and protocols to follow.

However, this information appears to have fallen on deaf ears if Monday’s revelations by Ministry of Health and Child Care officials at a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on health are anything to go by.

Government has been assuring the public that all is well, yet a population of about 16 million only has 84 ventilators.

Newman Madzikwa, a director in the Ministry of Health and Child Care revealed while being quizzed by the committee.

This comes at a time Zimbabwe is going through a severe Covid-19 second wave, which has increased the demand for hospital beds in general and the life-saving machines.

Despite all the loud announcements that local universities were capable of delivering the much-needed machines timeously, no ground has been gained in that regard.

Apart from this dreadful revelation, Government is also considering prioritising frontline health workers (which is commendable), Members of Parliament, members of the security forces and ministers – leaving out the elderly and people with co-morbidities.

Clearly Government’s priorities are misplaced.

From the onset there has not been any form of transparency surrounding how Government was handling the Covid-19 situation in the country.

Now a High Court ruling has compelled Government to become transparent enough by widely disseminating to the public comprehensive and adequate information regarding both private and public testing, isolation and treatment of Covid-19.

All this while there had not been any information on the nature and quantity of equipment available in the designated public and private institutions in Zimbabwe to deal with the resurgent pandemic.

 Apart from this, personal protective equipment has always been in short supply to the frontline workers who have also not been spared by the virus. Nhau/Indaba