Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
GWERU Provincial Hospital is providing a vital lifeline to patients in the Midlands province, with a free orthopaedic surgery camp running this week.
Over 30 patients have already benefitted from the camp which started on Monday, highlighting the combined efforts of improved healthcare services and a streamlined testing system.
With access to skilled medical staff and swift turnaround time for results, patients can only be grateful, ” I am grateful to the government and the hospital staff here at Gweru Provincial Hospital for operating on me, I had osteotomy repair plus fixation of malunited right lateral fracture and am now looking forward to a complete recovery.”
“I slipped and broke my ankle last year and all along have been trying to secure some funding so that I could get the operation done but today am happy the operation was done successfully. Before the operation, I also had some tests which were run and the results came back within a few hours,” said another.
Gweru Provincial Hospital Specialist Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgeon, Dr Brian Paketh disclosed that the camp is meant to address the backlog of critical orthopaedic surgeries.
“The Orthopaedic trauma cases we mainly receive in the province are from accidents, road traffic and artisanal mining activities. So the main objective of this camp is to manage cases admitted on the wards who have spent a long time in hospital. Prolonged admission has negative consequences as patients develop complications like depression, nosocomial infections and bed sores. There is also a strain on the hospital and indeed patients’ resources. Working class takes time to go back to being economically productive so we want to decongest the wards so that other patients awaiting the service who are at home can come in,” he said.
Gweru Provincial Hospital Chief Scientist, Mr Evidence Makombe underscored their commitment to improve medical care through enhanced laboratory services.
“As a hospital, we must facilitate quick management of patients for better outcomes. We also receive samples from other districts in the province so we apply the same principle on those patients so that we try and minimise turnaround time,” he explained.
The success of the camp is amplified by the Integrated Specimen Transport (IST) programme, a government initiative in collaboration with partners like UNDP and the Global Fund, which has significantly improved diagnostics for various illnesses beyond HIV/AIDS.
This includes essential tests for TB, infants born with or exposed to HIV, and a range of other health concerns. The IST programme ensures timely sample transportation and analysis, contributing to better patient care across the country.
