Mutare Women Give Birth On The Floor

More than 20 women were sleeping on the floor when Radio VOP visited the hospital recently.

“We are being told that they don’t have enough beds so we are made to sleep on the floor,” said one woman.

The hospital’s maternity wing can only accommodate 25 patients at a given time while the private ward has only two beds.

The private ward is mainly used by the hospital staff or those that would have been referred to the hospital by a doctor.

“Of late there has been a large number of expecting mothers who are coming to give birth at Mutare Provincial Hospital, this has resulted in all hospital beds being occupied,” said the nurse.

The city of Mutare has got two other hospitals that have got maternity wings. These are Sakubva district and Dangamvura Polyclinic. The two centres were also overwhelmed and were referring most cases to Mutare Provincial Hopsital.

The acting medical superintendent Dr Mubashar Ijaz said the influx at Mutare Provincial was too much as it was the only referral centre in the province.

“We are currently trying to rehabilate the Sakubva maternity wing so that it can accommodate some of the patients,” said Dr Ijaz.