SEVERAL patients that were admitted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals’ intensive unit were evacuated last week after the hospital ran out of oxygen.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
A guardian to one of the patients last week said his nephew was admitted at the hospital on October 21 2012 after being involved in an accident, but could not be operated on at the hospital.
“My nephew was in the intensive care unit for four days before being transferred to one of the wards for a surgical operation as he had a head injury,” the guardian said.
“The operation was postponed numerous times until we made arrangements to have him transferred to Avenues Clinic on November 2, where he was finally operated on.”
Staff at the hospital confirmed that the hospital had inadequate oxygen for two weeks, forcing them to transfer some patients to other hospitals including Harare Central Hospital and Avenues Clinic.
The hospital also hired private ambulances to transport the patients because its own fleet did not have enough life-saving equipment. There were allegations that the hospital delayed paying its supplier for the lifesaving gas.
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals chief executive officer Thomas Zigora confirmed the hospital faced problems relating to the gas, but said this was only for a few hours.
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“We had a small problem with piped oxygen for a few hours on Saturday, but this was resolved the following morning,” Zigora said. “We, however, had our cylinders throughout. We pay cash for all our cylinders. Parirenyatwa Hospital will not run out of such things.”
