Citizens In Action Southern Africa (CIASA) – a social impact pressure group says government should explore various ways of mobilizing domestic resources to enhance healthcare service as the country’s health system continues to decay.
CIASA pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has over- stressed an already faltering healthcare system exposing the major deficiencies that affect service delivery in that regard.
“Poor remuneration for health personnel has been the main source of discontent in the sector resulting in the mass exodus of skilled health personnel from the country to other countries especially the UK where they are better remunerated,” said CIASA.
In the past year alone, reports say Zimbabwe has lost over 2 000 healthcare professionals to foreign countries offering better wages and living conditions leaving a massive void in the local health institutions.
Government has been struggling to mobilize adequate health funding owing to various competing needs worsened by the rapid devaluation of allocated budgets due to hyper-inflation in the economy.
In his 2022 National budget statement, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube announced a ZW$117, 7 billion health budget, the third largest allocation after agriculture and primary and secondary education, which got ZW$124 billion each.
However, by year-end the health budget allocation is expected to have been eroded by inflation which currently stands at an average of 5% month-on-month and over 60% year-on-year.
As a result, most the country’s healthcare budget is dependent on foreign aid.
CIASA also slapped the government for disproportionate doctor to patient ratio in health institutions which has denied citizens of some basic and requisite health attention resulting in many deaths that could have been preventable.
“Women in particular are hardest hit as sexual and reproductive health services are neither affordable nor accessible particularly in the rural areas,” said CIASA.
CIASA said there should be provision of Assisted Medical Treatment Orders especially for the elderly and people with disabilities.
“The spread and distribution of health facilities also denies access to health as there are fewer government health institutions thereby opening up the sector to private players who charge exorbitant fees for services effectively excluding the vast majority of the population who live below the poverty line,” said CIASA.
