Solwezi General Hospital Medical Superintendent Namwaka Mukunyandela has described the condition of the 21 victims of a road traffic accident that happened in Kalumbila on saturday March,26 2022 as stable.
Speaking when North-Western Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Naomi Tetamashimba visited the 21 victims this morning Dr Mukunyadela said Solwezi General Hospital received 23 accident victims out of the 92 people that were involved in a road traffic accident.
Dr. Mukunyandela said out of the 23 people that were admitted, a 34 year old woman died while one has been discharged.
However Dr. Mukunyandela said the hospital has had challenges in attending to the victims in a quickest way possible due to lack of equipment such as x-ray machines and Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan which are not available.
“In terms of the Computerized Tomography (CT) scan unfortunately we do not have and the ideal state of course is that all trauma victims should have that as a standard but then since it’s not available we have to ensure that we take the right people there to the partners for help,” she said.
Dr Mukunyandela further said the hospital has a mobile x-ray track which they could have used, but is placed too high for patients with serious injuries to climb.
And one of the relatives of the accident patients admitted at Solwezi General Hospital Chama Chilekwa called on government to quickly assist the hospital with an x-ray machine.
Ms. Chilekwa said her relative who is in need of x-ray services has not been attended to because of lack of x-ray machines at the facility.
“we came here on Saturday and my relative is recommended for an X-ray, but surprisingly we are told there is no x-ray, how can they know if a person has internal injuries or not,” She questioned.
In the same vein, Provincial Health Director Charles Msiska said government is in the process of procuring Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan and digital x-ray for Solwezi General hospital.
“it is not that Solwezi General Hospital is not in the plan of government, it is already in the plan of government, it is in the process of procurement and very soon the provincial hospital is going to have CT(Computerized Tomography) Scan and digital x-ray, in the meantime cooperate with Merrybeg and other partners, we work with them as well to provide quality services,” he said.
And North-Western Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Naomi Tetamashimba who also visited the accident victims said government is investigating whether the Fuso truck that was involved in the accident is insured for possible compensation of the victims.
Mrs. Tetamashimba noted with sadness that accidents in Kalumbila and Solwezi districts have increased, further calling on stakeholders to address the matter.
“We cannot continue like this, how can a small Fuso truck carry more than 90 people? The other day it was right here at Solwezi General Hospital mortuary where my driver witnessed a canter carrying mourners overturned and people died,” she said.
Last week on Saturday a Fuso truck registration number BAA 6675 belonging to the Catholic Church in Kalumbila district carrying over 90 people enroute for burial overturned leaving two people dead and several others seriously injured.
As long as police officers are more interested in collecting bribes rather than actually policing roads and traffic, deathtolls will keep on rising
Majority of our vehicles have fitness. Drivers are either drunk or simply reckless.
*don’t have fitness.
North Western province has relatively low traffic but many drivers are reckless. Most small cars are in the hands of drunken miners. There are usually accidents between Solwezi and Lumwana that involve small cars because miners come to Solwezi to drink. As for mourners, almost all open vans are overload and there’s no one to control the situation. This isn’t in Solwezi alone. The people that board these vehicles, especially women, and those that drive them must realize that they aren’t immune to accidents. The accident that involved a Canter right at the Hospital could’ve been avoided if the driver were cautious. And how did they carry minors on that vehicle?
ITS SO TRUE ABOUT THE POLICE AND RTSA TRAPPING IN 20KM AND 40KM Zones PURELY FOR LUNCH MONEY
IT MUST STOP
ALSO WITH THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC ON THE ROADS IS THE ACCIDENT RATIO THAT HIGH ??
By the way, in terms of hygiene and patient record management Solwezi General Hospital is doing very well. May I therefore commend Dr. Mukunyandela and her team for a job well done. Can someone sort our the mess at Kitwe Teaching Hospital OPD and admission wards? There’s total confusion! These are the institutions that Mujajati used to close. KTH is so filthy it doesn’t qualify to be a hospital.
Govt through RTSA should put Mushindamo Solwezi and Kalumbila on the watch list 24hrs a day/30 in terms of preventing RTA. In have travelled there by hiking on my way to Lumwana West, its like the drivers are very excited even they way they drive no regards for road traffic rules. During one of travels in the past from Solwezi to KisasaI had to intervene by taking over driving as the driver was totally drunk and the other passengers its like were just waiting for heir death. Upon reaching Manyama the young man was fast asleep until our final destination at Kisasa where I had problems waking him up. Imagine what could have happened if I never intervened in good time, we could have been history by now.