Bulawayo Residents Fume Over Covid-19 Unpreparedness

Bulawayo residents are distressed and living in fear after knowing the levels of unpreparedness that the city has when it comes to countering the CPCID-19 pandemic.

After the Minister of Local Governance and the overseer of the Bulawayo Taskforce on COVID 19, July Moyo revealed that cases of COVID-19 in Bulawayo are to be referred to Wilkins hospital in Harare, Bulawayo residents were left in shock and fear of the worst.

Winos Dube the chairperson of the Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA) said the idea of taking local cases of the pandemic to Harare is inconvenient and a disappointment when it comes to how the pandemic is being treated like a joke.

“We were very disappointed as a leaders on the levels of unpreparedness that have been displayed. Honestly why would we not have such a thing as a city. We have Thorngrove that could be worked on to be a facility,” He said.

When the first case was discovered in Bulawayo residents began fearing for their lives as there are possibilities of other infections. It has also become of concern that the test results arrived two days after the death of the patient.

A Bulawayo resident (name withheld) said the arrangement is unfair to the city of Bulawayo as the second largest city and the government should intervene and assist every city in times like these.

“In most countries the health department is developed and it is not centralised, this shows how marginalised Bulawayo is. Reviving one place the whole country has shown that only Harare is seen as Zimbabwe. COVID-19 is infectious a lot can happen as someone is being transported to Harare, this will increase the risk of spreading the pandemic.”

Winos Dube also said the government should at least assist to refurbish Thorngrove and Ekusileni Hospitals that need a few utilities to cater for patients.He also said this must also come as a wakeup call for the government to set disaster management facilities for its hospitals.

“I wonder if it is like that for the whole country if it is like that for the second largest city it is disappointing and disheartening. We are calling for the relevant authorities to do something. Ekusileni too needs a few touch ups to be ready for service.

“The truth is all government hospitals must have disaster management plan, the ministry of health and the government as a hole should help. Two facilities are not enough if the situation gets bad, Bulawayo has up to a million people,” said Dube.

With a recorded population of over a million people it is shocking for residents to know that Bulawayo as, the second largest city is unable to obligate a decent facility for the pandemic. On the 10th of this month various communities made pledges and donations to refurbish facilities and fight against COVID-19 in Bulawayo.

Source: Lance Chigodo, Humanitarian Information Facilitation Centre (HIFC)

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