Five die of malnutrition at Ingutsheni mental hospital in Bulawayo
By Lance Guma
24 October 2006

A hospital is a place where you stay to get well. Dying of malnutrition is not what you imagine in a hospital, but sadly this is now the case in Zimbabwe. The latest story comes from Bulawayo where five patients at Ingutsheni Psychiatric hospital died of malnutrition related illnesses this year. The Deputy Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Edwin Muguti confirmed the deaths but seemed very eager to stress the difference between starvation and malnutrition. Experts say it’s a thin line.

A report on the ZimbabweJournalists.com website says the five patients at Ingutsheni, ‘died of acute pellagra, a condition caused by a severe lack of food or certain vitamins.’ The article quoted a nurse who said four patients had died at the Mzilikazi Ward after having lost weight over a period of time. Most shockingly they are said to be on a diet of sadza and boiled cabbage without any cooking oil, while their breakfast is made up of plain tea that has no milk or bread.

Lionel Saungweme our correspondent in Bulawayo visited the hospital and says from what he saw standards have deteriorated dramatically. He says the fact that most patients have mental problems makes it easier for authorities to cover up the true extent of the crisis. He said a number of relatives he spoke to had been told to bring food supplements for their loved ones.

The chaotic land reform has seen the take over of farms which previously supplied government hospitals, army barracks and police camps with food. Most of the farms now lie barren. Bulawayo Mayor Japhet Ndabeni Ncube has on countless occasions pointed out the disturbing number of deaths due to malnutrition in Bulawayo but government has politicised the whole issue in order to detract from the problem. Malnutrition related deaths have also been reported at Mpilo Hospital in the city and the latest reports from Ingutsheni reflect the collapse of the whole health delivery system in the country.