COVID-19: Patients in Zimbabwe take to social media to buy oxygen as shortage hits hospitals

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By Abba Gwale

Many patients are in dire need of oxygen while private medical suppliers are selling oxygen concentrators between US $2,000 and $3,700- a price that many cannot afford.

“We have run out of stock of oxygen concentrators, anyone with reasonably priced concentrators so that we give preference who need them at reasonable prices, we don’t want to be profiteering, help we have many people in urgent need.” said medical supply specialist, Calvin Majora.

According to Zimbabwe’s chief coordinator of the Covid-19 task force said a surge of Covid-19 patients has increased the demand for oxygen and as a result they have a shortage of medical oxygen.

He said as a government they know that medical oxygen is crucial for treating Covid-19 patients and their main priority now is to buy oxygen.

The country’s health-care sector is heading for collapse, with shortages of medical equipment now critical.

An epidemiologist running public hospital and one of the Covid-19 centres in the country Prof Rashida Abbas Ferrand, who is living in Harare the capital city of the country said people are in dire need of oxygen though she can’t speak for the rest of the country on the issue of medical oxygen adding that they don’t have enough beds.

Zimbabwe is in a second tough lockdown, with rising Covid-19 cases and the country has recorded 24,256 Covid-19 cases and 589 deaths so far.

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