A fire has gutted the Beitbridge district hospital theatre, destroying $3.5m (about R60m) worth of property in the theatre room.
The 140-bed hospital serves a population of more than 250,000 residents and also caters for the in-transit population passing through the Beitbridge border post.
On Monday morning a fire suspected to be caused by an electrical fault destroyed theatre equipment and infrastructure.
Beitbridge district medical officer Dr Lenos Samhere said anaesthesia machines and theatre tables were destroyed.
“It’s a very unfortunate incident. Our theatre caught fire and important pieces of equipment have been destroyed. At the moment we are not in a position to offer emergency caesarean sections. We are mobilising equipment from the province, and we are using a small theatre,” said Samhere.
The hospital is overstretched for resources. It has a shortage of staff, inadequate water supply and power cuts. It is a referral centre for 17 primary healthcare centres, handling an average of 350 deliveries monthly.
No injuries were reported and the fire department is investigating.
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Fire guts Beitbridge hospital theatre, property worth millions destroyed
Image: 123RF/HXDBZXY
A fire has gutted the Beitbridge district hospital theatre, destroying $3.5m (about R60m) worth of property in the theatre room.
The 140-bed hospital serves a population of more than 250,000 residents and also caters for the in-transit population passing through the Beitbridge border post.
On Monday morning a fire suspected to be caused by an electrical fault destroyed theatre equipment and infrastructure.
Beitbridge district medical officer Dr Lenos Samhere said anaesthesia machines and theatre tables were destroyed.
“It’s a very unfortunate incident. Our theatre caught fire and important pieces of equipment have been destroyed. At the moment we are not in a position to offer emergency caesarean sections. We are mobilising equipment from the province, and we are using a small theatre,” said Samhere.
The hospital is overstretched for resources. It has a shortage of staff, inadequate water supply and power cuts. It is a referral centre for 17 primary healthcare centres, handling an average of 350 deliveries monthly.
No injuries were reported and the fire department is investigating.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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