While rescue efforts continued in Beira on Friday, the people of Mozambique were trying to save and rebuild what they could after Cyclone Idai hit the country last week.
Many buildings were severely damaged.
Universities and schools were closed, and the only hospital in the city was in desperate need of repairs.
All operations at the central hospital in Beira had come to a halt after severe damage to the roof. Surgical theatres, recovery rooms and wards were flooded during the cyclone, with sunshine from the broken rooftop being the only source of light in the building.
Only emergency procedures were being done at the moment, due to a lack of staff and equipment.
The director of the hospital, Nelson Mucopo, said they were only taking trauma patients at the moment.
“Some of the units are closed and now we can’t see the outpatients because we have no condition.”
Meanwhile, the operations centre set up in the airport was buzzing as helicopters were leaving for the worst affected areas, which can only be reached by air.
Doctors were working tirelessly at the central hospital of Beira with only the trauma unit functioning. Doctors said they had lost track of the number of hours they had worked at the hospital since the severe weather.
“We are directly involved [and] we live here. I just went home to take a bath and came again here,” Mucopo said.
One person has died at the hospital so far.
Source – EWN
