Six people die on theatre beds monthly at Zomba Hospital

The shortage of medical equipment and supplies at Zomba Central Hospital has reached crisis levels, with patients dying on theatre beds due to lack of requisite materials in that critical hospital room, Nation on Sunday has learnt.

And, according to the Ministry of Health, some of the challenges faced at the referral hospital apply across other similar facilities across the country.

In a presentation to management on October 28 2013, hospital director Dr Martias Joshua said at least six patients die on the theatre table at the hospital per month.

Joshua said some patients die immediately after theatre during the post-operative period in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to anaesthesia complications.

“Faulty equipment and lack of patient monitor are the main causes,” said Joshua in his presentation.

The hospital, which receives patients from the five districts of the Eastern Region, currently has no operational ICU while two theatres have been closed down due to faulty equipment.

The situation has forced the hospital to suspend head operations.

Joshua’s  presentation further says some equipment such as a vaporizer, which is part of machinery meant for the ICU, is rotten and its metal cover has “turned to disgusting green colour due to degradation.”

In an interview with Nation on Sunday, hospital anaesthetist Mc Millan Lingomanje said the institution has also suspended general anaesthetic.

Lingomanje said the number of people dying “is alarming and disappointing to the profession,” saying it is undermining their ability to perform as medics.

“On average, we treat 600 patients monthly and out of this, an average of six people are dying and the worst part is some die on the operation bed.

“In addition, out of the six to seven people who need theatre services, we can only manage to treat one at a go, and what happens to other emergency cases? I think your guess is as good as mine,” he said.

Lingomaje said the pressure is high and “as a medic, I am fed up because all I am doing is contribute to the death of people.

“We are better off having one theatre room because of the kind of machinery we have. Some of the machinery we are struggling to use was purchased in 1985,” he said.

Joshua’s presentation further says the ICU, which is running like a High Dependency Unit (HDU), has the highest mortality of more than 60 percent.

“The situation at Zomba Central Hospital is very pathetic and needs urgent attention. We should not wait for another patient to die due to faulty equipment and lack of other surgical supplies before correcting this. [Otherwise], no patient should be anaesthetised without basic emergency equipment and basic monitors, ”reads the presentation.

Hospital administrator Thom Chisale said the report is a true reflection of the situation at the facility.

“We have referred the matter to the Ministry of Health and they are aware of what is happening. At the moment, our doctors are doing all they can but it’s a sad situation,” said Chisale.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health Henry Chimbali said the ministry is aware of the situation and is working on measures to deal with the problems.

“In fact, some of the challenges presented apply across other central hospitals. It’s a situation which we are not happy with because some of the needed items are basic and need to be found at every central hospital.

“The ministry has, [therefore], directed an urgent review of our medical equipment procurement plan to immediately procure the urgently-needed equipment to resume full-scale operations of several services in all central hospitals,” said Chimbali.

A nurse who refused to be identified said doctors at the hospital use intuition to give some medications because there are no monitors to determine how much medication patients need after an operation.

“After an operation, we need to monitor how a patient is doing and give medication accordingly, but there are high cases of overdose and under-dose because we have no monitors to determine how much medication is needed,” said the nurse.

Executive director of the Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) Martha Kwataine concurred that the situation in Zomba is just a tip of the iceberg.

Said Kwataine: “The situation is pathetic and it seems it is getting worse. The poor people who also have the right to life seem to be dying like flies and surely something needs to be done. This cannot go on. Can you imagine how many people are dying in a year?”