By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
Hon. Dr. Sleiman Kwidini, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, has dismissed allegations that the government has failed in its response to the victims of the Lutumba Tollgate bus accident. The incident, which occurred along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway, saw victims photographed at Beitbridge hospitals with limbs supported by cardboard makeshift casts.
Speaking to the media after a tour at Beitbridge District Hospital, Deputy Minister Kwidini addressed the public’s concerns, explaining that it is common practice to use cardboard casts to immobilize injured limbs temporarily.
“It is not advisable to put a plaster when the hand is still swollen, and while there are being transported to the hospital and before X-rays,”he stated,
He clarified that these makeshift supports are intended to stabilize the injury while awaiting proper treatment.
However, Kwidini acknowledged the lack of communication between the hospital staff and also confirmed that there was not enough medication available, a situation he deemed dangerous for human health.
To address these shortcomings, the Ministry of Health is planning to expand Beitbridge Hospital, ensuring that residents do not need to travel to other facilities for medical assistance.
“Proper medical machinery will be set at the hospital,” stated the Deputy Minister
“It is also in the plans of the ministry that Beitbridge District Hospital should be expanded so that it can accommodate emergencies like this one, where it had to admit over 50 people at once,” he added.
The debate surrounding the use of cardboard casts has highlighted the strain on Beitbridge District Hospital. As the community calls for improvements, the Deputy Minister’s promise to expand the facility will be sweet news to Beitbridge residents and the country at large after shortcomings were exposed by the disaster.