COVID-19 WING IDLE AFTER E88M SPENT

MANZINI – The Tubercolosis (TB) Hospital wing for COVID-19 patients is complete, but not functional despite the high number of people who need medical care.

Following the recording of the first case of COVID-19 in the country last year in March, government presented strategies that were set to deal with the coronavirus and the TB Hospital, located at Moneni, was one of the health facilities earmarked for isolating and treating these patients. This was pronounced in May last year. At the time, the hospital was said to be in need of structural reforms and to ensure that this was achieved; government solicited the services of Construction Associates, a subsidiary company of Inyatsi Construction Group Holdings.

This was confirmed by the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Simon Zwane. He said the contract price for the refurbishment of the wing that would cater for COVID-19 patients was E88 702 969.65. This publication gathered that the contractor handed over the wing to government after completion in the first week of December 2020.

Satisfaction

When asked about this, Dr Zwane said: “The project handover was done to our satisfaction and we are currently putting up a gas plant that is an integral part of the hospital.” The TB Hospital wing is envisaged to accommodate 100 beds based on previous submissions by the ministry’s senior personnel. In a previous interview, Dr Zwane said the setting up of the gas plant could take between three and five weeks. Following a reported shortage of oxygen in medical facilities, Dr Zwane said given the envisaged scramble for oxygen in the region as the COVID-19 cases surged, government saw it fit to have alternatives for the sourcing of oxygen. Among them, he said, was what was known as on-site oxygen generation.  According to Generon, an oxygen production company, on-site oxygen generators are a cost-effective alternative to purchasing cylinder oxygen from industrial gas suppliers. By producing your own oxygen gas, at your facility, you can save up to 80 per cent of traditional gas contract prices.

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