By Thandiwe Garusa
A NURSE at Bikita Rural Hospital in Masvingo province, who was seriously injured by a violent maternity patient while on duty seven years ago, is now bedridden without compensation, support, and medical care she was denied by the government.
On the night of August 13, 2018, Progress Muzuva left Bikita Rural Hospital after she was assigned to escort a pregnant patient in need of emergency care to Silveira Mission Hospital as part of her duties.
The patient she was escorting seemed stable when they began the journey, but suddenly became violent, screaming, throwing herself against the ambulance’s body, and trying to leap from the moving vehicle in a bid to commit suicide.
Muzuva fought to save her patient from taking her own life while the ambulance bounced along the rural road. The driver was reportedly unaware of the chaos in the back.
At one point, the woman smashed the ambulance window and tried to leap out. That is when the driver realised something was amiss and finally stopped and opened the door, only to be greeted by punches. The patient then fled.
Muzuva and the driver chased her through the darkness and brought her back into the ambulance.
Muzuva, fearing another outburst, refused to leave the woman alone and stayed in the back of the ambulance.
Moments later, the woman went into labour and Muzuva delivered the baby with her bare hands.
The violent mother, now delusional, accused Muzuva of swapping the baby upon realising it was a girl and started screaming and trying to kill the infant.
“I was shielding the newly born baby from her mother who wanted to kill her with one hand holding the slippery baby while another one pushing the bleeding mother away,” Muzuva narrated her ordeal to NewZimbabwe.com.
Muzuva and the driver finally arrived at Silveira and handed over the baby and the mother safely; however, her own body was broken.
A seasoned obstetrician and gynaecologist told NewZimbabwe.com that the patient’s condition may have been triggered by postnatal depression that may be caused by social circumstances.
“This may have been a result of the social circumstances she was in. Maybe she was looking for a boy child for a long time and this may have made her end up rejecting the child and going through a condition called Puerperal Psychosis
“Sometimes the patient may also have suffered from an underlying psychotic disorder, previously or bipolar.
“Most of these psychotic issues happen soon after delivery. About 80% of women experience postpartum blues, which usually last a few days. 20% of women also suffer from postpartum depression which most people do not take seriously as it is mild.
“About 2% to 5% of women suffer from puerperal psychosis, which happened in this situation and this is the far end of postpartum depression,” he explained.
Denied medical assistance by the government
The following day after the incident, Muzuva realised she had sustained serious injuries as her left leg was swollen, and she could barely walk.
X-rays confirmed her leg was fractured and her spine had been injured.
The government which is the very institution she served, turned its back on her.
“I was given a normal sick leave instead of compensatory sick leave, which is supposed to be given to someone who has been injured while on duty. I was referred to a neurosurgeon in Gweru at Claybank Hospital,” Muzuva said.
Her requests for an ambulance to travel to specialist hospitals were denied. Authorities from the district office refused even to write her a letter explaining how she got injured.
The process of having to find money delayed her from getting assistance while her condition deteriorated.
“I struggled to get money and I finally managed to hire a commuter omnibus, removing seats and lying on a mattress just to get to my appointments as I cannot sit anymore,” she narrated.
She paid for every CT scan, every X-ray, and every consultation out of her own pocket money, which she did not have.
She is now bedridden and owes US$11,000 in medical bills, and has to go through another surgery.
Despite multiple specialist referrals, Muzuva was denied government assistance at every turn.
Medical reports seen by NewZimbabwe.com show that a neurosurgeon confirmed that her spine was fractured and required immediate surgery.
The Ministry of Health refused to help and turned down every ambulance request or financial assistance.
Betrayed by a system which does not care
Muzuva only got her full salary in the first two months after sick leave and in the third month, the salary was deducted by 50%.
She kept begging the human resource (HR) manager to put her on compensatory sick leave so she could get her full salary and other assistance, but was told off.
“I really needed the salary for medical expenses and I kept begging the District HR to put me on compensatory sick leave and he said to me, ‘if you now want to work here at the HR offices, you may come and I will come and sleep in that bed as you,” Muzuva told NewZimbabwe.com.
After a full year of agony, Muzuva finally underwent spinal surgery in December 2019 at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
According to her, four days later, Bikita District HR called her to come so they could discuss her situation, and she explained to her that she could not manage as she had gone through surgery and was still recovering in the hospital.
The HR made it clear that if she failed to present herself immediately, she should not bother them with her matter. This threat forced Muzuva to hire transport and make the journey, only to be told the medical board she was supposed to meet was not available.
She had to hire a car back to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare to continue with her admission.
Her spine continued to deteriorate, she could no longer sit, walk, or use the toilet and started wearing adult diapers.
Later in 2021, while her health worsened, the government deepened its betrayal and wrote to her saying it wanted her to retire but she refused on the basis that the letter stated she was not injured at work, which meant she was not entitled to the compensation she was supposed to get.
Since then, she used to do follow ups and they have ignored her.
She reached every responsible office in the ministry from the district level to the minister and has been ignored, denied access, had calls dropped, and denied appointments.
At one point, she was allegedly told by an official, one Miss Masale in Masvingo province, that “I am your employer and if I am quiet, it means there is nothing which needs us to communicate, we have the whole province to run, so I do not bath to just come and handle your matter alone. So I will call you, usandinetse,’” she said.
Doctors recommended another operation, but again, she lacked the money.
In January 2023, she underwent a second major operation to install rods and screws in her back and she was assisted by private doctors out of pity, even when she could not afford it.
The procedure was too late to stop the permanent damage and she still needs reviews, MRIs, and dynamic X-rays but she cannot afford them.
In September 2023, Muzuva had her last check-up, and two years have now passed without medical follow-up.
“Ndonzwa kubaiwa (I feel stabbing pain when I move, when I step. The iron in my back is shifting, but I cannot go back for help,” Muzuva trembled as she narrated her story to this publication.
Since 2023 to date, Muzuva has been home and she went to the Masvingo Provincial Medical Director earlier this year and was denied access.
She then went to the provincial HR office where another unidentified official who was there said: “munonetsa imimi handiti makati munozvigona mukaenda kuhead office saka mazovingei kuno”.
In 2024, she learned that the ministry had forged a letter on her behalf showing she had accepted retirement in 2022.
Through the back and forth of trying to get her deserved assistance, Muzuva then got to know that the government had even hired a legal team to handle her case as they tried to deny she was injured at work.
Seven years still investigating while her health deteriorates
Meanwhile, after facing a deluge of criticism over the matter, the panicky Ministry of Health issued a press statement at the weekend saying it is reviewing Muzuva’s case through legal and administrative channels.
“The Ministry wishes to clarify that this case has not been ignored by the current administration. In fact, procedures are actively underway to assist her.
“However, it is important to note that resolution of such matters is not a one-day event. Reviewing a case that dates back to 2018 requires careful and thorough examination of both records and procedures.
“To that end, the matter was referred to the ministry’s legal advisors to assess whether all applicable legal and human resources guidelines were properly followed during her handling, including her leave, retirement, and any associated benefits,” reads a statement from the underfire ministry.