The current loadshedding regime has taken a toll on hospitals that are located around the Belgravia area in Harare according to reports in the government-owned Herald.
The area is known for its private hospitals which include:
- Health Point Hospital,
- Corporate 24,
- Diagnostic Imaging Centre,
- Haemodialysis Centre,
- Well Women Clinic and Target Laboratories.
The institutions are not government owned and probably share circuits with residential areas which means they have not been spared from the load shedding. They have had to rely on backup generators which are now costly to operate given the cost of fuel.
Health Point Hospital head Peter Annesley said that private hospitals might be forced to close:
We have been on a load-shedding schedule that resulted in us going for 38 percent of the time without power.
The results of that load-shedding are putting the viability of Health Point Hospital and other healthcare institutions in the area under dire straits.
Since 8am on Tuesday (last week), Health Point Hospital alone has consumed nearly US$2 500 in diesel to keep the hospital operations running as we have a moral obligation to ensure care and commitment to our patients.
This money was spent in only four days. Imagine the bill we will have to foot at the end of the month if the situation continues like this. We will definitely no longer be viable.
We are aware of the situation Zesa and other businesses are facing, but the sad reality is that essential services are not being given priority and they inevitably face collapse.
Consequently, the medical community and the 24-hour medical facilities based in Belgravia are imploring Zesa to reconsider the load-shedding regime affecting the area.
The latest blow to a reeling sector
The health sector has been under strain due to foreign currency shortages. Most hospitals now lack essential drugs and private hospitals have been the last man standing when it comes to health care in the country.
