- RRT in Midlands a one-man band
- Doctor said to be attending to call out though govt paid him for the COVID-19 job
A corona virus outbreak is brewing in Midlands Province amid reports that this week the hospital reportedly turned away five COVID-19 suspected cases without undergoing tests from its only isolation centre that is located at Gweru General Hospital, Zim Morning Post can report.
Government last week directed all the country’s 10 provinces to embark on an ambitious programme to test cases of suspected COVID-19.
The Zim Morning Post team on Friday visited Gweru General Hospital where they met a medical practitioners stationed at the province’s referral centre.
“There is only one trained member of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) in Midlands who is tasked with attending to all cases of COVID-19,” said one official who declined to be named in order to protect his image.
Asked by this publication why the suspected cases of the deadly pandemic were being turned away, the Zim Morning Post source had this to say:
“My view is that the single member of the RRT appears to be overwhelmed by the massive responsibility at his disposal.”
But how could the RRT member claim to be overwhelmed when he had not tested a single case of suspected COVID-19 pandemic, Zim Morning Post asked.
“The doctor apparently took government money and vanished in order to attend to his call outs,” added our source.
The official took a swipe at authorities in the Health ministry for what he said was its “policy of exclusion”.
“There are so many medical practitioners who would have wanted to be members of this team, but it seems as if it is the usual ‘jobs for the boys thing,” he said.
Government has embarked on an ambitious programme to test about 1 000 cases of COVID-19 per day, bringing them to 40 000 monthly.
Currently, Zimbabwe has only slightly below 600 tested cases, making it one of the least compliant countries with regards to coronavirus tests.
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