ZANU PF regime has run down the health sector

When the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere the then president of Tanzania sent his congratulatory message to the newly elected Zimbabwe Prime Minister Robert Mugabe in 1980 he reminded him that he had inherited the jewel of Africa and therefore had to guard it jealously. At that time the manufacturing industry was booming, formal employment in factories was the order of the day and the economy was the envy of most African countries. Both the private and public health system were also at their best. It is all but run down now.

In terms of section 76 of the Constitution of the Republic of Zimbabwe every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to have access to basic health services. Major public health and referral centres such as Parirenyatwa in Harare, Mpilo and United Bulawayo Hospitals and other public hospitals countrywide have become death traps instead of places of recovery for our loved ones. These public hospitals have become synonymous with perennial shortages of essential drugs, dilapidated infra-structure, obsolete and malfunctioning equipment such as x-ray machines, scanners and shortage of health personnel. Due to lack of adequate tools of trade and other essential hospital requisites, staff morale and motivation is always at its minimum in these public hospitals. Issues of corruption are now a daily occurrence at these hospitals with the latest being that of abuse of office by Mpilo hospital top brass in the procurement of hospital requisites and equipment.

Due to unavailability of medication, it is now the norm that patients admitted at these public hospitals are given prescriptions at the hospital and have to wait while relatives and friends scrounge around for the money to buy medication from private pharmacies. What this means is that those without the money to buy the medication will remain without any treatment resulting in their conditions getting worse or in death that could have been avoided. It is disappointing to note that some doctors are now taking advantage of this sad situation and making a killing through illegal networks where they refer these patients to pharmacies owned by them or their friends.

Sadly, the National Pharmaceutical Company(Natpharm) which is tasked with the procurement and supply of medical drugs to these public health institutions is only running at 25% capacity due to underfunding from government and non -payment for drugs supplied to the public hospitals. The parastatal is currently owed $25 million by government.

This crisis in our hospitals is acerbated by the health workers' attitude to work due to poor remuneration and working conditions. Their attitudinal disposition and commitment to their work over the years appears to threaten the very foundation of the profession entrusted with the primary responsibility of saving lives. Some deaths that occur in these public institutions are as a result of sheer neglect and carelessness by the health practitioners.

The ZANU PF government has for many years allocated a larger chunk of the national budget to the security sector at the expense of the health and other crucial social services ministries. This is a clear sign of the government having our country's priorities all wrong and whose result unfortunately is inadequate health provision for the ordinary poor citizens. According to the 2001 Abuja declaration to which Zimbabwe is a signatory, African Union countries agreed to increase government funding for the health sector to at least 15% of the national budget. Alas the ZANU PF government has done the exact opposite. In the 2015 national budget, the Ministry of Health was only allocated $301 million which translates to only 6% of the national budget. The ruling elite themselves are not affected by this crisis because we all know that when they get sick they either go for treatment to expensive private hospitals which are always fully stocked with medication and state of the art medical equipment or catch the first plane out to Europe, the Far East or the neighbouring South Africa for treatment. If the millions of dollars spent by the ruling elite for treatment in the diaspora could be harnessed back home to help uplift our public hospitals, the situation would be very different.

It is unfortunate that we are witnessing the current crisis in the health sector when the causes are avoidable or can be minimised. The wealth of a nation is measured by how healthy its citizens are. I believe it is only an MDC government that can introduce and implement sound and progressive health policies that will ensure all citizens have access to affordable and accessible health care. Through devolution of power budget allocations to public health institutions will be determined at local level which will result in efficient administration and nip corruption in the bud. Devolution of power will ensure checks and balances are done at the local level in our health institutions and promote progress and transparency in all the country's provinces. Those caught on the wrong side will face prosecution instead of the current trend where the corrupt are allowed get way with their loot without and no punitive action being taken.
 
Ilos Nyoni Is an MDC National Executive Member
(NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS)