Nyanga South legislator Supa Mandiwanzira has praised the “timely and critical” response by medical staff after a bus carrying Tynwald High School pupils was involved in a fatal accident near Juliasdale on Friday night.
The accident claimed six minors while 34 others were seriously injured and recuperating at local hospitals.
Responding to critics who were fuming that lives could have been saved had the district medical facilities been sufficiently equipped, Mandiwanzira said the accident victims were timeously attended to and received attention anyone in a similar situation would have imagined.
“I was at the site and then proceeded to Nyanga District Hospital, I have videos and pictures of medical services doing their work and they were working frantically to make sure that everyone was attended to in the shortest space of time. Ambulances were lined up to ferry the more critically injured to Mutare Provincial Hospital.
“I think it is unfair to criticise people who really went out, hearts out, to do their work. I saw what they were able to do, I saw what they were doing, I don’t know if they had any difficulties in terms of equipment, I did not get that feedback from Doctor Muungani and other medical staff who were working there, but in terms of response, in terms of efficiency, it was totally amazing, it’s the kind of service you expect in any situation of that nature,” said Mandiwanzira.
Meanwhile, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has insisted that the medical attention missed the “golden hour” which could have saved the injured pupils.
“In trauma medicine, they emphasize the importance of the golden hour. It is a concept that says the critically injured patients are required to receive definitive care within 60mins from the occurrence of injuries after which the chances of death increase substantially. Coming to the tragic and sad Nyanga bus accident; There was no Emergency Medical Transportation (EMT) services. There was no Air Evacuation service (for) critically injured patients who needed urgent operations and needed to be immediately evacuated. It contributed to mortality,” he wrote on Twitter.
