By Tendai Makaripe
The sudden death of 21-year-old Tinomuda Mutero from Epworth in April this year was a devastating blow to his community.
Full of life and determined to lift his family out of poverty, Mutero had dropped out of school in Form Three due to financial difficulties and turned to vending to support his family.
“He sold fruits and vegetables in the community,” his mother, Agnes, said.
“He wasn’t ashamed because he knew our livelihoods depended on what he provided.”
However, tragedy struck when Mutero came home one day in early April with an upset stomach and a fever.
He was quickly taken to a nearby health facility, where he was diagnosed with typhoid fever, a bacterial infection caused by Salmonella typhi, often spread through contaminated food and water.
KwaJacha, the community where Mutero lived, lacks access to clean water, leaving residents vulnerable to waterborne diseases.
Despite receiving the common antibiotic ciprofloxacin, Mutero did not respond to treatment. Medical officials later determined that he had contracted a drug-resistant strain of Salmonella typhi, likely due to the overuse or misuse of antibiotics in the area.
Biology research scientist Tawanda Katsumbe highlighted that the lack of clean water in areas like KwaJacha fosters the spread of diseases such as typhoid fever.
“Without access to safe drinking water, residents rely on contaminated sources, perpetuating the cycle of infection,” Katsumbe said.
“As typhoid fever spreads, the frequent use of antibiotics like ciprofloxacin and azithromycin becomes common. However, in resource-scarce communities like KwaJacha, improper use of these medications has led to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of Salmonella typhi, a phenomenon known as Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).”
AMR occurs when bacteria evolve to resist antibiotics, making infections harder to treat.
In communities like KwaJacha, where improper use of antibiotics is common due to resource limitations, drug-resistant infections are on the rise.
This issue directly contributed to the tragic death of Tinomuda Mutero, who succumbed to a drug-resistant strain of typhoid fever, underscoring the local impact of AMR and the urgent need for preventive measures and funeral assurance.
The funeral imposed a heavy financial burden on the family, forcing them to borrow heavily for basic expenses like the coffin and City Council fees.
A makeshift coffin, fashioned from a wardrobe, was all they could afford.
“It was a heartbreaking sight,” said mourner Kelvin Masikati.
“The family had no funeral policy prioritising immediate needs over long-term planning.”
With the rising number of AMR-related deaths, funeral assurance policies are becoming increasingly essential to ensure a dignified burial.
Research by the University of Washington found that in 2019, approximately 4.95 million deaths worldwide were linked to drug-resistant infections, with 1.27 million directly caused by AMR.
In Africa, AMR accounted for over 250,000 deaths, with Zimbabwe among the top 10 countries in age-standardized mortality rates associated with AMR.
The rising number of AMR-related deaths highlights the increasing importance of funeral assurance, which provides crucial financial support for families facing unexpected and costly funerals due to untreatable infections.
The number of AMR-related deaths in Zimbabwe surpasses those from neoplasms, maternal and neonatal disorders, diabetes and kidney diseases, enteric infections, and unintentional injuries. Given the escalating AMR threat in Zimbabwe, securing funeral assurance has become increasingly important.
AMR makes previously treatable infections difficult or impossible to cure, leading to a higher rate of premature deaths.
Funeral assurance, a type of insurance that covers funeral and burial expenses, is now more crucial than ever to provide financial security for families facing these rising health risks.
Clayton Dambudzo, Chief Executive Officer of Warrant Funeral Home emphasised the importance of funeral assurance.
“Funeral assurance provides essential financial support to families, covering funeral expenses and easing the burden during a difficult time. These policies offer various options to suit different needs, ensuring that even in cases of sudden, AMR-related deaths, families are not left struggling to cover costs,” he said.
While addressing journalists at a recently held Insurance and Pensions Journalists Mentorship Programme sponsored by the National Social Services Authority (NSSA) and the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC), IPEC Commissioner Grace Muradzikwa emphasised the need to have insurance.
“Insurance and pensions provide a crucial safety net, protecting against unforeseen events and ensuring financial stability,” she said.
The Zimbabwe Association of Funeral Assurers chairperson Patrick Mhuka underscored the importance of funeral assurance in the wake of AMR.
“According to the research by Washington University, AMR was in the top 5 causes of death in Zimbabwe and when you consider that 1 in every 5 deaths was of a less than 5-year-old, it calls for serious planning and action,” he said.
“Funeral assurance is meant to provide cover for these untimely and costly deaths. Funeral/burial cash services are costly and most of the time happen when you have already used up your cash resources on medication. A funeral assurance policy is a solution that breaks down the cost of a funeral service into smaller affordable monthly instalments.”
He added that funeral assurers are experts in resource mobilisation at the time of claims which takes away the burden of planning for the funeral from the bereaved families.
Certain groups in society, particularly the elderly, are especially vulnerable to AMR-related deaths, underscoring the relevance of funeral assurance for them.
As people age, their immune systems naturally weaken, making them more susceptible to infections that may require antibiotic treatment.
Chemical pathologist Professor Hilda Matarira pointed out that the elderly frequently interact with healthcare settings, such as hospitals and long-term care facilities, where the risk of acquiring infections, including those caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, is higher.
“The increased use of antibiotics among the elderly, often due to chronic health conditions, further heightens this vulnerability. When these infections become resistant to standard treatments, the elderly face even greater health risks, making AMR a significant concern for this group,” she said.
Given their increased susceptibility to AMR-related infections and the potential severity of such illnesses, the elderly, particularly those in low-resource settings like many in Zimbabwe, should be covered by available funeral policies.
Healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, are at particularly high risk due to their constant exposure to infections in healthcare settings.
Often on the front lines, they deal with patients carrying drug-resistant bacteria, increasing their chances of contracting these challenging infections.
Joyce Dube, a UK-based mental health expert, noted that the physical and emotional toll of working in such high-risk environments further weakens their immune systems, making them even more vulnerable to severe illness.
“Given these risks, having funeral insurance is essential for healthcare workers. It not only provides peace of mind but also ensures that their families are financially protected in the unfortunate event of an untimely death caused by an infection contracted on the job,” she said.
Research also indicates that patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, or HIV/AIDS are at heightened risk due to their compromised immune systems, which make them more susceptible to infections.
Their frequent use of antibiotics to manage recurring infections further increases their chances of encountering drug-resistant bacteria. “This combination of weakened immunity and repeated exposure to antibiotics makes them particularly vulnerable to AMR-related complications, highlighting the need for life insurance,” said life insurance expert Gail Jones.
Despite the clear benefits of funeral policies, Harare resident Andrew Muparamoto expressed concerns about funeral policies, noting that they often don’t offer significant benefits to policyholders over time.
“I’m not opposed to funeral policies, but I have concerns about how they are structured. You can pay for many years, yet all you receive in the end is a coffin, a hearse, and transport for mourners,” said Muparamoto.
Addressing these concerns, Warrant Funeral Home’s Dambudzo explained that economic shocks and currency fluctuations have been the main issues.
“With the introduction of a more stable ZIG currency, we expect to see policies maturing,” he said.
ZAFA chairperson Mhuka noted that the industry has policies that mature as well as annual renewable policies to cater for different lives and needs.
“Funeral assurers have designed new generation products that apply to Zimbabweans without the stringent traditional insurance underwriting processes. We believe that the new generation of funeral assurance products is in sync with the government’s agenda of financial inclusion,” he said.
“Before the new generation policies, funeral assurance policies were age-based and a lot of our elderly and disabled lives were considered uninsurable. There was strict underwriting before one could be accepted for cover. In other countries, lives above 65 or 70 years are outside insurable ages and when they pass on, relatives have to find other means to fund the burials. Looking at life expectancy in Zimbabwe, no insurer would apply a 25-year maturity term on a 70-year-old’s life. Ordinarily, these lives would be financially excluded.”
He added that traditionally, the investment landscape in Zimbabwe is quite different from that in South Africa noting that Zimbabwe has had three bounds of hyperinflation episodes in just about 2 decades.
“In South Africa, the uninsurable lives are not covered whereas in Zimbabwe, because of the new generation funeral assurance policies, my 80-year-old parents and other dependents can still be covered. These new generation funeral policies are meant to be passed on from generation to generation, just changing the payor and replacing the deceased lives, they should not mature.”
Research has shown that funeral assurers and life offices continue to avail both maturing and non-maturing policies for the market.
For Mutero, an AMR-related death came when he least expected it and because no adequate plan was in place in the event of death visits, his passing proved to be a burden to family and friends. This situation can be avoided when people acquire funeral policies.
