A broken X-ray machine is forcing patients to pay up. Chipinge District Hospital in Zimbabwe has been without its only X-ray unit for roughly nine months, leaving roughly twenty patients a day to seek services elsewhere. The machine broke down in April, and the district medical officer, Dr. Ozzy Matekenya, stated it is too old to repair economically. Patients are referred to Mt Selinda or St Peter’s Mission hospitals, or to private clinics.
One anonymous TB patient said he was referred from a local clinic for chest complications, only to be told by a doctor to find a private X-ray service. He paid five hundred rand, about twenty-five US dollars, for a surgery in Chipinge town. The hospital serves a wide area, including Chipinge Rural, Birchenough Bridge, Rusitu, and parts of Mozambique. Dr. Matekenya said the issue is now with higher authorities, as the hospital can do nothing but redirect patients.
One anonymous TB patient said he was referred from a local clinic for chest complications, only to be told by a doctor to find a private X-ray service. He paid five hundred rand, about twenty-five US dollars, for a surgery in Chipinge town. The hospital serves a wide area, including Chipinge Rural, Birchenough Bridge, Rusitu, and parts of Mozambique. Dr. Matekenya said the issue is now with higher authorities, as the hospital can do nothing but redirect patients.
