The Second Republic’s huge investment in health continues, with the Parirenyatwa Hospital Group opening a new high dependency unit that will meet the needs of patients with acute respiratory illnesses and relieve pressure on the intensive care and high dependency care units already in place at the hospital.
The unit is located in a ward that was renovated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the needs of critically ill patients requiring respiratory care, and currently has eight beds that will be expanded over time.
Pulmonologist and head of the respiratory unit at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Dr Felix Manyiruki, said the ward would provide pulmonary and critical care services to patients.
“We are opening what is called a medical HDU and it has been operational for the last four months. This is a 30-bed unit and we started with eight beds. We are gradually expanding to cater for up to 16 patients.
“We mainly deal with respiratory diseases that include pneumonia, patients suffering from shortness of breath, asthma, silicosis, lung diseases, post-tuberculosis lung diseases and others,” he said.
“Parirenyatwa is set up with an ICU and ICU that caters to general and surgical patients but what is limited is the number of beds available.
“The eight medical beds we opened are separate from the existing units there. This is a closed HDU that provides care only to patients. We also receive maternity patients who require oxygen therapy. This is an extension of the services that were already in place.”
The unit was set up in partnership with the People’s Hospital of Hunan Province in China, which provided equipment and expertise to train local doctors to perform new medical procedures.
Last week, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr. Douglas Mumbeshura received a package of medical equipment and consumables worth US$500,000 from the Chinese government to support the development of the respiratory care unit.
Dr. Maniruki said that as part of the partnership, Parirenyatwa also received three bronchoscopy machines and an automated bronchoscopy cleaner.
In addition, a team of Chinese doctors will come to a simulation laboratory where local doctors and technicians will be trained.
“Our Chinese partners have put forward a lot of models that will be used to train our staff to perform intubation and other medical procedures. We will set up a center here to train doctors on how to do these procedures. We have acquired training equipment so that we can train our staff.”
Parirenyatwa provides health care to people within Harare, but the demand for specialist services has led to more people from all over the country coming to the hospital.
Dr Manyiruki said the new specialized tertiary care unit will see more patients coming in as the country suffers from a high burden of respiratory diseases.
“The burden of respiratory disease in the country is high and asthma is the most common. In the world, Zimbabwe ranks 14th in terms of deaths from asthma, so most respiratory deaths occur at home.
“This center will provide health services to acutely ill patients but we also have an outpatient clinic, general respiratory clinic, post-Covid care, post-tuberculosis lung disease as well as silicosis which affects artisanal miners.
The leader of the 20th Chinese medical team, Dr Ou Yang, said the establishment of the respiratory center will help improve the health outcomes of many Zimbabweans.
“The cooperation between Hunan People’s Hospital and Parirenyatwa is an important step to help provide healthcare to people. We are donating equipment to Parirenyatwa to build a new respiratory unit. There are good doctors in Parirenyatwa but there is a shortage of equipment to serve more patients here, so here we are,” he said. To help cure diseases and we can save more people,” he declares