By Vumani Mthiyane
The damage to the property and equipment at Manama Hospital in Matabeleland South will run into thousands of United States dollars, a senior health official has said.
Strong winds hit the hospital on Sunday afternoon leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Matabeleland South Provincial Epidemiology and Disease Control Officer Dr Andrew Felix Muza said the team together with the Civic Protection Unit have assessed the damage and have put some modalities in place for the smooth running of the health facility.
“I can confirm that one of our major referral hospitals in Mat South was blown away by strong winds on Sunday afternoon. The affected areas include the maternity wards, female ward, incinerator and other electrical equipment. The damage was mainly on the roof of the mentioned units,” said Dr Muza.
“A total of about 20 patients were affected but fortunately no one was injured. We have sent a team of experts from health, public works and the district development Coordinators office to quantify the damage and come up with a monetary value to the damage.”
He added that there will be mobilising resources for the repair of the hospital from the government, development partners, the local authority and other local funders.
“In the meantime, we have identified other areas within the hospital where services could be offered from. We will be monitoring the event as other response mechanisms will be put in place,” he said.
The damaged property includes vaccines solar fridge, roofing, solar panels, 10 000 litre water tank, electric cables, telephone cables, air conditioners, phototherapy machine, beds and blankets among others.
