AfricaPress-Tanzania: A RECENT comprehensive survey by the government in health facilities in two major cities of Dar es Salaam and Mwanza has exposed the truth about coronavirus, contrary to speculations on social media.
The social media reports had it that the major hospitals in the two cities recorded big number of Covid-19 patients, but the government’s survey carried out by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Prof Mabula Mchembe (Health), has come to prove them wrong, thus relieving the public from reinstated fears.
His survey established that the hospitals in the two cities continued with their normal routines of serving patients suffering from different diseases, as opposed to claims that they were overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.
In Dar es Salaam, the Permanent Secretary went to Mloganzila hospital and Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) whereas in Mwanza he visited Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) and Sekou Toure Referral Regional Hospital.
The survey at the facilities last week was meant to get firsthand information over what was said on the social media about the Covid- 19 patients.
His first leg of the tour was at Mloganzila Hospital, on the outskirts of the Dar es Salaam City where he met with the management to get a report over patients received at the facility before he visited various wards in the facility.
When briefing the Permanent Secretary, Dr Mwanaada Kilima, specialist physician and pulmonologist at Mloganzila, said from last month the facility received 74 patients whose diseases also affected respiratory systems.
On the day the PS visited the health facility only 39 patients had remained after others were treated and discharged.
The health workers, Dr Kilima said, were offering preliminary healthcare services to patients before undergoing comprehensive laboratory tests.
At Mloganzila Hospital Prof Mchembe visited three wards and saw patients with breathing complications but each of them had different health problems including kidney failure, hypertension and asthma.
“The public, especially social media users should not relate any disease that comes with breathing difficulty to Coronavirus, something which creates tension to others,” he warned.
He added: “Let’s all know that any one of us may become sick and come to these hospitals for treatment, how would you feel when others mock you when you are sick?”
The PS said the bad thing was that those who spread the misleading reports were probably relatives or friends of the patients who went to see their colleagues admitted to hospitals.
Later in the afternoon the PS visited the MNH, where he found out that many of the patients with respiratory problems were those suffering from diseases like hypertension, kidney failure, low blood red count and others.
“These diseases also affect the respiratory system; therefore it is not true that these people are Covid-19 positive,” the Permanent Secretary clarified.
At the MNH, Dr Zuhura Mawona, Director of the Nursing Services department, said the key facility had accommodated a total of 1,282 patients when the PS visited the hospital last week, out of which 90 had diseases that affected their respiratory systems.
He went on visiting some major private hospitals in Dar es Salaam where he found out that there were no confirmed Covid-19 cases through laboratory tests but only based on clinical diagnosis upon symptoms related to the disease.
The clinical diagnosis is the clinical process of identifying a disease, condition, or injury based on the signs and symptoms a patient is having and the patient’s health history and physical exam.
Further testing, such as blood tests, imaging tests, and biopsies, may be done after a clinical diagnosis is made to confirm the disease.
Prof Mchembe visited the Aga Khan and Kariuki hospitals as part of his fieldwork to establish the truth about Covid-19 reports which suggested that major public and private hospitals in Dar es Salaam were fully occupied with Covid-19 patients.
“But this is not final. This is a provisional diagnosis. And all hospitals I visited they said they only did clinical diagnosis but not confirmed cases,” the Permanent Secretary said.
Dr Mukiza Ngemera of the Kairuki hospital told the Permanent Secretary they had 28 patients with diseases related to respiratory problems based on the clinical diagnosis.
However, he noted that over 15 of those patients had a history of suffering from other diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, kidney and others.
Dr Asser Mchomvu, Director General of the Kairuki, said they never declare Covid-19 cases by only doing clinical diagnosis but until other tests such as chest x-ray, CT-Scan and others were done.
Earlier at the Aga Khan hospital, Prof Mchembe told the public to ignore misleading information that the hospital had several patients of Covid-19, urging them not to be worried of going to the hospital to seek services.
On his part, Director of Medical Services at the Aga Khan, Dr Ahmed Jusabani, also refuted claims that their hospital was fully occupied with patients of Coronavirus, arguing that generally the hospital had few patients both outpatients and inpatients.
“I call upon patients who have been attending clinics at our hospital to continue visiting and ignore the Covid-19 rumours,” Dr Jusabani stated.
On other hand, the Permanent Secretary told the Aga Khan hospital not to charge high treatment costs to patients, something that was hindering many Tanzanians from going for treatment.
Prof Mchembe was not pleased with the hospital’s charges for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) services, which the patient has to deposit 6m/- before getting services. “That is too expensive”.
“Let me take this opportunity to warn all private hospitals that capitalize on diseases related to respiratory problems to earn more money through charging high costs as they take advantage of public fear over Covid-19,” the Permanent Secretary warned.
In Mwanza, the survey also proved that there was no corona patient in the region as it was reported on social media.
Having found no corona patient during his impromptu visit at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) and Sekou Toure Referral Regional Hospitals, the PS urged the Tanzanians to avoid rumours statements that may lead into fear and panic to members of the public.
However, the PS advised members of the public to continue taking precautions against corona pandemic given the fact that the government isn’t ready to receive any type of vaccination.
“It is because influenza-related cases happen periodically….. You can vaccinate today but experience the same situation a day after. My advice to Tanzanians is to go for regular health check-ups, with regard that any health complication is well attended once at an early stage,” insisted Pro Mchemba.
BMC Deputy Director, Dr Fabian Massaga, urged the Tanzanians to ignore rumours-related stuff on social media, which might cause unnecessary stress among members of the community.
He reiterated that the facility had no corona patient, stressing that: “Let Tanzanians build a regular health check-up culture to prevent and avoid any possible health complication. Our health facility is well equipped with professional health experts, medicines and medical devices to provide effective and timely treatments to Tanzanians.”
Last month, President John Magufuli warned the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children against rushing to acquiring vaccines for the Covid-19 pandemic without verifying their efficacy.
He also ruled out the government’s imposition of locking down on the country, thus allowing people to continue with their daily economic activities.
The President said any decision to adopt Covid-19 vaccine should not be taken lightly, stressing that:
Not every vaccine is beneficial to our nation, the ministry should be extra careful on this issue to avoid leading the county into trouble. Tanzanians should stand firm and stop being guinea pigs for such vaccines because they may face irreparable consequences to the county.”
