No X-Ray Machine At Chipinge District Hospital
Chipinge District Hospital has been operating without an X-Ray machine for almost five months now.
According to The Manica Post, the hospital’s X-Ray machine broke down in April and patients seeking X-Ray services are being turned away.
The digital machine reportedly broke down in April when the hospital was attending to Chimanimani Bus Disaster victims which claimed the lives of 43 Zion Church of Christ (ZCC) followers.
Chipinge District Hospital receives at least 20 patients seeking X-Ray services daily but they are being referred to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital in Mutare.
Chipinge District Medical Officer, Dr Brian Makumbe confirmed the dire situation at the hospital. He said:
Our X-Ray machine is not working. The part that broke down is very expensive to replace.
The money we are receipting is not enough to repair or buy the new part.
We are engaging our superiors to have this issue addressed.
Chipinge District Hospital’s catchment area is quite huge, covering Chipinge rural, Birchenough Bridge, Rusitu and neighbouring Mozambique.
A patient, Tenson Semwayo, told The Manica Post that he had to fork out US$40 at a private surgery in Mutare to access X-Ray services after travelling all the way from Manzvire in Chipinge South last week.
He implored authorities to urgently repair the X-Ray machine at Chipinge District Hospital.
