Sensationalism, sensationalism viva Zimbabwean media, after all it sells newspapers. Hospitals of death, what on earth is that? A series of articles from journalists who are not really interested in objectivity. How many people are discharged from public hospital on a daily basis? Did this journalist ask this question? Well i would at least try to compare the numbers, how many died how many went home after receiving effective treatment.
Our public hospitals leave a lot of room for improvement but imagine if tomorrow morning they announced the closure of the Parirenyatwa, Harare and Chitungwiza hospitals. How many would die then?
It is not very responsible to term these hospitals "hospitals of death". Just this morning i met a young woman who is scheduled for an operation at Mbuya Nehanda, guess what she is now afraid to go in. How can she deliver at a death centre? Who is going to tell her about all the lives the hardworking men and women at Parirenyatwa are saving? Who will tell her about a neonatal unit that treats babies born weighing less than a KG and discharges at least forty five after treating them for two months and nursing them around the clock. Who will write about young junior doctors taking on the work of consultants and executing it perfectly. Yes some Doctors and nurses are not doing their work but such is reality, in every group of professionals you will find the unprofessional ones. Why do you think the term was created in the first place?
These hospitals are understaffed, grossly underfunded and also plagued by corruption but very important work is being done, they are still saving lives.
A few visits will never be adequate for such an article, journalists need to research sufficiently before dismissing our hospitals as "hospitals of horror". This article is not an article that inspires change in these hospitals. All that is missing is a recommendation to close down the hospitals.
The truth is very important, we need to know and appreciate the sorry state of our hospitals but we also need to know that they are still working and lives are being saved. "Hospitals of death" might result in Zimbabweans who have no access to private healthcare dying because they were too scared to seek treatment at a "death centre".
Our public hospitals leave a lot of room for improvement but imagine if tomorrow morning they announced the closure of the Parirenyatwa, Harare and Chitungwiza hospitals. How many would die then?
It is not very responsible to term these hospitals "hospitals of death". Just this morning i met a young woman who is scheduled for an operation at Mbuya Nehanda, guess what she is now afraid to go in. How can she deliver at a death centre? Who is going to tell her about all the lives the hardworking men and women at Parirenyatwa are saving? Who will tell her about a neonatal unit that treats babies born weighing less than a KG and discharges at least forty five after treating them for two months and nursing them around the clock. Who will write about young junior doctors taking on the work of consultants and executing it perfectly. Yes some Doctors and nurses are not doing their work but such is reality, in every group of professionals you will find the unprofessional ones. Why do you think the term was created in the first place?
These hospitals are understaffed, grossly underfunded and also plagued by corruption but very important work is being done, they are still saving lives.
A few visits will never be adequate for such an article, journalists need to research sufficiently before dismissing our hospitals as "hospitals of horror". This article is not an article that inspires change in these hospitals. All that is missing is a recommendation to close down the hospitals.
The truth is very important, we need to know and appreciate the sorry state of our hospitals but we also need to know that they are still working and lives are being saved. "Hospitals of death" might result in Zimbabweans who have no access to private healthcare dying because they were too scared to seek treatment at a "death centre".
