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Zimbabwe's major hospital suspends elective surgeries due to drug shortage

Xinhua, October 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

Zimbabwe's second major hospital has indefinitely suspended elective surgical operations due to lack of sedative drug, according to local media report.

Narcius Dzvanga, clinical director at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) in the second largest city of Bulawayo, confirmed the development in a memo to surgeons and other key staff last Friday, state-run news agency New Ziana reported Monday.

According to the memo, the director noted that there was a shortage of pethidine nationwide.

Pethidine is a pain relieving drug which is used in emergency department and post surgery stages of health care chain.

UBH becomes the second major hospital in Zimbabwe to suspend crucial surgeries after Harare Central Hospital suspended the surgeries last month due to shortage of critical drugs.

"Please be advised that the hospitals are facing challenges in obtaining pethidine. This is a shortage in the country not just at United Bulawayo Hospitals," Dzvanga said.

Zimbabwe is facing serious liquidity challenges that have begun to constrain importation of critical goods and services.

However, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is planning to introduce next month bond notes backed by a 200-million USD Africa Export-Import Bank facility to ease the cash crunch. Enditem