By Flata Kavinga
Kwekwe General Hospital has recorded 43 deaths from silicosis between January and August this year, with the hospital now averaging more than one death a week from the occupational lung disease.
Medical superintendent Dr Tinashe Gunda said the hospital had also admitted 164 silicosis patients during the same period, with between eight and 12 patients typically receiving treatment at any given time.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Kwekwe District Silicosis Awareness Conference held at Kwekwe Polytechnic, Dr Gunda said the number of silicosis cases had been rising steadily over the years.
“The statistics have been rising,” Dr Gunda said.
He said the hospital first began noticing a significant number of silicosis admissions in 2001, when about six patients were admitted.
“From 2022 onwards, it was rising until this year, which is 2026. In 2026, from January to August alone, we have 164 that have been admitted so far,” he said.
Dr Gunda said silicosis had no definitive cure because the disease causes permanent fibrosis of the lungs, leaving patients with reduced lung function.
“There is no real treatment for silicosis. It is the lungs that are fibrotic, the lungs that are no longer functioning well. So it’s just supportive treatment, particularly oxygen therapy,” he said.
He said diagnosis could sometimes be complicated because the condition could resemble tuberculosis (TB), potentially resulting in patients being placed on TB treatment while not receiving the oxygen therapy required to support their breathing.
“Sometimes the picture confuses with TB. So a patient will go on TB treatment and then we may lose the patient whilst they are on TB treatment and they are not receiving the oxygen supply therapy that is needed,” Dr Gunda said.
He said steroids were sometimes administered to reduce inflammation but these did not cure silicosis.
“Sometimes we use steroids to try and just reduce the inflammation but it’s not really treatment. It’s just to try and prolong their life a little bit,” he said.
Dr Gunda urged miners, particularly small-scale miners, to reduce their exposure to silica dust by adopting safer mining practices.
He recommended wet mining and the proper use of protective clothing and masks, saying miners who were unfamiliar with the correct use of protective equipment should undergo training.
“My strong advice to miners, particularly those small-scale miners, is that they should try by all means to use the preventive measures that we talk about, which begins with the environment that they work in, to just reduce the exposure to the silica dust,” he said.
“I know some of them, the small-scale miners, may not have enough equipment to implement all the things that we should do. But at least they should then be able to use protective clothing, masks and wear them properly.”
Dr Gunda said reducing exposure remained important as the hospital continued to deal with rising cases.
“If we fail to control it currently, we may actually get worse. But we are trying to do measures to try and control it and prevent it so that we reduce the incidence,” he said.
The conference was officially opened by the Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube.
