Kwekwe which is located about 215 kilometres south of Harare, is reported to have no COVID-19 admission facility.
The revelation comes at a time when cases of new COVID-19 infections are on an increase in the country.
According to daily statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care Zimbabwe is in a second wave.
COVID-19 patients in Kwekwe who need admission are reportedly being referred to Gweru (66 km) or Bulawayo (227,6 km).
In an interview, Former Minister of Health between 2009 and 2013, Dr Henry Madzorera confirmed the situation.
He added that the government has handled the preventative and curative aspects of COVID-19 poorly.
“We must ensure that every district has a COVID-19 admission facility. Can I tell you that in Kwekwe we dont have a COVID-19 admission facility.
“Its not everybody who needs to end up in an ICU Unity. But there are people who need to be admitted and be given oxygen by mask and to have other treatments administered and they recover and go home.
“We don’t have that facility to treat less sick patients in Kwekwe and we have to refer to Bulawayo and Gweru. So the way we have managed both the preventative aspect of COVID-19 and then the curative aspect has been very poor. And that is something we should do differently,” he said.
Dr Madzorera added, “I think if the government has will power they can start right now and start doing it differently. Start offering free COVID-19 tests, PCR tests, and establish hospitals throughout districts.”
Government has no adequate resources
The government on its side has blamed the lack of adequate resources for its poor response to COVID-19. The viral disease has claimed many lives and appears to be on its second wave globally.
Most countries in the world are back to some sort of lockdown to try and flatten the curve of new infections.
Zimbabwe is on a 30-day lockdown that was announced by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. It remains to be seen whether it will be extended or not.
There has also been talk of various vaccines that have been approved but the rollout has not been smooth. This is due to various theories that have been circulating on social media.
Some theories have announced that the vaccines are developing side effects.
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