Zimbabwe faces a future if government does not immediately step up efforts to prevent a full scale coronavirus outbreak in the country, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has said.
This comes amid reports the neighboring South Africa has already recorded 17 confirmed cases.
In a statement, MDC Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Henry Madzorera said the outbreak had hit the world at a time Zimbabwe’s health delivery system is at its weakest.
“COVID-19 outbreak comes at a time when our health delivery system is weak and lacks resilience. Even the most basic day to day health care delivery is virtually non-existent to the citizenry. Public confidence and trust in our healthcare system is at an all-time low.
“Routine surveillance and epidemic intelligence has suffered greatly due to the challenges bedeviling the system,” said Madzorera.
He castigated the government for failing to handle the few reported suspected cases saying it exposed high levels of unpreparedness.
“The bungling in the handling of the few cases reported in the media betrays high levels of unpreparedness on the part of government. Citizens are worried by the track record of our government over the past forty years,” added Madzore.
Madzorera further blasted government over he said was ‘default position’ of denial and false assurances to cover up for perpetual unpreparedness.
MDC has however pledged to help government manage this complex outbreak saying it is not a partisan issue but a matter for all Zimbabweans.
