Relatives of patients admitted at Gweru Provincial hospital, especially those who come from Gokwe, Zhombe, Shurugwi Rural ,Chirumhanzu Zibagwe and Mberengwa have resorted to sleep at a nearby bus stop since they have no accommodation in the city.
Driven by the love to look after their loved ones, who are admitted to the referral hospital, most of the patient relatives have resorted to sleeping at a nearby bus stop where they wait patiently for the next visiting hour to see and provide the daily necessities of life to their bedridden kith and kin.
A morning visit by this reporter to a bus stop adjacent to the hospital revealed that most patient relatives sleep at the bus stop, do their laundry, and could be seen drying up clothes at a nearby lantana camara bush.
Most of those who sleep and wait at the bus stop are women.
We have no option but to sleep here, we cannot commute every day from Zhombe to Gweru to come to visit our sick relatives, we are saving the money for food and medicine for our beloved one, said Filda Dhlela from St Jude’s Zhombe.
Another woman From Chirumhanzu Zibagwe whose son was hit by a machete at Zepline mine said she has no option but to stay at the bus stop and wait for her son to heal.
I have no accommodation or relatives in the city, we are not allowed in the hospital at night hence we wait for our visiting hours here at this bus stop, she said.
They claimed that security guards at the hospital sometimes harass and chase them from the bus stop claiming that it was against the hospital’s policy. By Kelvin Kasiwulaya #The Sun