Mugabe warns hospitals

President Robert Mugabe has warned hospitals against detaining patients who would have failed to settle their medical bills.

Mugabe told mourners at the burial of former Cabinet minister and Zanu PF politburo member Kumbirai Kangai, that he was worried with the arm-twisting tactics by  government hospitals to force patients to pay up.

"We don't want huge fees in hospitals and we are not saying people must be treated for free but the charges must be reasonable so that they can be met by our poor people," Mugabe said.

"We don't want the situation whereby people are detained in hospitals for failing to pay the fees, and ko vanhu vasina mari, zvoitwa sei?   VaKangai vakarwira kutivanhu vasununguke, vagare zvakanaka, and this is why we also had introduced free education at primary schools at independence for everyone."

Mugabe said he was informed by Kangai's family that the former minister died on Wednesday night after attending a politburo meeting. He said upon arriving home, he took a bath, collapsed and died.

"The circumstances surrounding his death are known by his family and we last saw him in a politburo meeting," Mugabe said. "Nobody noticed that he was not feeling well as he was making a lot of suggestions in the meeting and we were shocked by his death."

During Mugabe's speech, former deputy minister of Regional Integration and International Co-operation Reuben Marumahoko collapsed.

He was ferried on a stretcher bed by a medical team from the VIP tent to an ambulance and had first aid dispensed by Zanu PF politburo member David Parirenyatwa, a medical doctor.