Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals have initiated a hospital decongesting process over fears of the novel coronavirus that is spreading in the country.
Mpilo Central Hospital Clinical Director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya on Tuesday told The Chronicle that they will be cancelling all non-emergency operations and discharge all stable patients.
He added that the elderly should, by all means, stay away from hospital grounds and confine themselves to their homes as they are more vulnerable to the virus. Ngwenya said:
The situation is bad and as way of protecting our patients and the rest of the public, we are trying to control the numbers at our hospitals. We will now be attending to emergency cases only and have closed the Outpatient Department. All non-emergency operations are suspended with immediate effect. This virus is deadly and we realise that people seem to be very relaxed as if they assume to be immune from it. The public must practice social distancing and avoid public spaces unless if it is necessary.
Ngwenya added that emergencies can be accidents, burns, asthma attacks, strokes, diabetes-related collapsing and coma, very low or very high blood pressure or sugar levels and many more.
More: The Chronicle