Hazel Tizora
GWERU: Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Slyman Kwidini today visited Gweru accident victims who were injured when a Hungwe bus traveling from Botswana to Harare overturned at the Fairmile roundabout in Gweru, claiming six lives.
The accident occurred around 6 AM, sending shockwaves through the Midlands capital as emergency services rushed to the scene to attend to the injured and retrieve bodies from the wreckage.
A total of 48 patients were attended to at Gweru Provincial Hospital.
Of the 48, four patients had amputations and two had debridement in theatre. One had a severe head injury and is admitted in ICU. Several had lacerations sutured and discharged home.
Five people died on the spot including four females and one minor.
Speaking during the visit, Minister Kwidini said he was happy with the swift response by hospital staff to make sure that those who survived got quality service.
“I’m very happy with the response which was made by the Gweru Provincial Hospital in terms of the fatal accident which happened at Fair Mile.
“As we have seen, our patients are being taken care of and everything is in order. We are even assured that the patients are receiving basic care and quality treatment,” Kwidini said.
His remarks come in the wake of a social media outage that came following a post by Minister of Youth Empowerment Tinoda Machakaire who said public hospitals are in a sorry state and urged the President to take swift action.
“I visited one of our public health institutions this morning to see a relative and left deeply concerned by the conditions I witnessed. What I saw was deeply moving—a clear indication that many of our people are facing serious challenges,”.
“The growing public outcry over our healthcare system is not an exaggeration; it reflects the difficult experiences of many citizens,” Machakaire wrote on X.
Kwidini however said they can not rule out challenges in the Ministry but however dismissed the current social media debate saying they are a ‘hands-on’ team that do not dwell on social media posts which he further said are in many cases ‘misleading’.
Kwidini also said the efficiency seen at Midlands provincial Hospital is what one will experience if one visits medical centers ‘countrywide’.
Meanwhile, preliminary reports indicate that the bus overturned while navigating the roundabout under unclear circumstances.
