On Monday night, a hospital in Zimbabwe reported seven stillborn babies. And it is not the only day that stillborn babies are observed.
Zimbabwe’s Healthcare System
The healthcare system of the country is at a critical point where frontline workers such as nurses and doctors are already joining protests. They do this to voice out their needs. They request for sufficient personal protective equipment and other necessary tools needed to protect them and help them do their job amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The additional need for PPEs had been caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic which had also affected the healthcare system and economies of many nations across the world. The protests across the country had left many hospitals understaffed as many experienced medical workers had joined. This had also led to many delivery rooms lacking sufficiently experienced staff to help with taking care of pregnant women and those who are giving birth. The services of less experienced staff without the supervision of those who had been in the medical field for years may have affected the alarming number of stillbirths.
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Many Babies Were Stillborn
According to some of the staff of the Harare Central Hospital, the lack of experienced staff had led to many stillborn births in the hospital. It was told that many of the staff of hospitals had joined the protests which had resulted in many hospitals being short of staff. Furthermore, this had resulted in many hospitals being left with many junior medical professionals who are less experienced at resolving issues involved with pregnancy and delivery.
The insufficient number of well-experienced medical staff in hospitals had led to many stillborn births. The seven stillborn babies reported on Monday was not the only day that the hospital reports such alarming numbers.
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