Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has called for government to unveil a comprehensive protection plan for vulnerable and key populations particularly people with disabilities.
Commenting on response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the outspoken Mliswa said Zimbabwe has been spared the worst through divine intervention as government has failed to respond effectively.
He said government has been inconsistent and failed to avail protection to the vulnerable despite constitutional obligations to protect people with disabilities from unseen eventualities and effects the same way it has taken care of the welfare of war veterans.
“There are vulnerable groups that I need to bring to the attention of everyone. We have the disabled, where are they in terms of getting something to protect them from the pandemic?
“What is the constitution saying about people with disabilities that are supposed to be protected is the constitution ensuring that they are safeguarded in this regard?
“Why is it we seem to leave people with disabilities out of our planning, yet we always supported the issue of war veterans being given compensation and what is due for them a better welfare, but the disabled how come they are not factored in,” he said.
Nyasha Mahwende of the Young Voices Disability Zimbabwe, said government should pay particular attention to people with disabilities as they can be exposed by virtue of their ability to observe some precautionary measures.
She said some people with disabilities use their hands to walk, rendering hygienic measures of washing hands ineffective and they would need special protective gloves which are expensive and out of reach.
“There are some of us who are using hands to walk and would need some protection from the virus. We appeal to government to chip in and provide assistance to people with disabilities because we have special needs, how does one wash hands when they are using them to walk?
“If the Covid19 problem gets serious we need that assurance that government will take care of the people with disabilities as some of the actions ordinary people take for granted can expose us to possible infection,” said Mahwende.
Mliswa said government has also exposed frontline staffers who are responding to the pandemic to possible infection by failing to provide adequate PPE and conducting regular tests.
He said government has failed to utilize effectively resources donated to assist in the response by testing few people despite having testing kits available.
“We also have a situation where civil servants the frontline staffers absolutely have nothing (PPE) they are at risk. We must know that the frontline staffers, like the army, the police and health workers have all been tested and we know what has been spent on them with proper accounting procedures.
“We are not here because we have been brilliant in planning or because we have done well, it is only through the grace of God Zimbabwe has survived.
“I believe we have not been exposed because, one we have not tested enough. We have got 100 000 tests kits in Zimbabwe but the Ministry of Health tells you we have tested only 500 in a single day,” said Mliswa.
