Oicha Ebola treatment centre lacks space for 30 patients
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mali Actu
The Ebola treatment centre in Oicha, North Kivu, is receiving around 30 patients and lacks beds, with rooms being shared. Centre head Melchi Lukumbola says the rapid influx of patients requires additional tents and rooms, according to Mali Actu.
The Oicha Ebola treatment centre, in North Kivu, is receiving around 30 patients although its initial capacity was limited to 20 beds, 10 for confirmed cases and 10 for suspected cases. Dr Melchi Lukumbola, the centre’s head, explains that the rapid increase in confirmed cases has forced teams to install additional tents.
Patients report difficult accommodation conditions. Mireille Kahambu, who had been admitted for three weeks at the time of her testimony, says three people share a room, with two sleeping spaces on mattresses on the floor and a single bed, without mosquito nets. Jean-Paul Nzingene, whose test had returned negative, says he shared a room with someone who was subsequently found to have tested positive for Ebola virus.
Oicha General Referral Hospital, which houses the treatment centre, has made new rooms available for suspected cases awaiting laboratory results. The hospital head is calling for the urgent construction of a standards-compliant Ebola treatment centre with sufficient capacity, Mali Actu reports.
The situation comes after 13 patients recovered from Ebola were discharged from the Beni Ebola treatment centre, announced on 10 November, according to Mali Actu. At the time, the discharge was a record for this centre in Beni.
