Zanzibar ICU without facilities

From ISSA YUSSUF in Zanzibar, 

THE Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for critical patients at the Zanzibar's main hospital (Mnazi Mmoja) has only one skilled nurse and the division is without oxygen and monitoring system, it has been revealed.

"Mnazi Mmoja is our referral hospital, the government should buy all the important facilities for the ICU to save patients," said Amina Iddi Mbarouk in a Zanzibar House of Representatives committee report on education, health and social development, appealing to the government to improve the ICU before the 2011/2012 budget session."

The committee also identified lack of ICU and a mortuary at Wete hospital and poor sanitation in Mkoani and Abdallah-Mzee hospitals in Pemba Islands, saying these were problems which required immediate measures to be tackled, attributing the filthy state to laziness of the hospital staffs.

"The government should spare no effort in solving the bulky problems in hospitals, including shortage of water supply and control brain drain caused by unfavourable working conditions and poor payment of the staffs," the committee said.

Authorities say that Zanzibar has achieved to put up many health centres in large areas of Unguja and Pemba islands but improving services including better facilities and the availability of essential medicines for common diseases remain the biggest challenge for the government.

President Ali Mohamed Shein has in several occasions promised that his Government of National Unity (GNU) was determined to reform the health sector, focusing at having modern equipment and better pay for health staffs in a bid to minimize brain-drain.