#HEALTHSECTOR
Time to take health sector out of ICU
Backyard midwives have become popular as formal public health institutions are
either too expensive, or are too underequipped to cater for expecting mothers.
Is it not such a shock that one
cannot get basic items such like
gloves, bandages, and pain killers
like Paracetamol in local
hospitals?
This is what ZPP found out when
the organization carried out a
survey on clinics and hospitals
around the country, and while
some had such consumables,
health practitioners were
demanding a fee in order to
dispense them.
What is even more shocking is
that this has become so much
like an acceptable situation, and
when people go to public health
institutions, they have gotten
used to the idea that all they get
is consultation, and when it
comes to getting necessary items
like medication, and sometimes
bed linen, they have to source
that themselves.
We have a situation where
backyard midwives have become
popular as formal public health
institutions are either too
expensive for the increasingly
vulnerable populations, or are
too underequipped to cater for
expecting mothers.
Home deliveries are risky as
pregnant women need services to
support pregnancy and
prevention of mother-to-child
transmission of sexually
transmitted infections, among
other risks.
Mortality rate, infant, mother (per
1,000 live births) in Zimbabwe
was reported at 33.6 % in 2020.
This is against a backdrop of a
government that has continued
to brag about how it has
improved the lives of
Zimbabweans.
And the state of the health sector
is a clear indicator of the
government’s commitment to its
people, because it is where the
line between living and dead is
drawn.
Underfunding and lack of
prioritization of the health sector
have remained the biggest
challenges and last year Finance
Minister Mthuli Ncube said
government was meant to spend
ZW$927,3 billion towards the
health sector.
With inflation ravaging the
Zimbabwe dollar, ZW$117 billion
was equivalent to about USD78
million at the prevailing parallel
market rate.
Today, ZW$117 billion is
equivalent to about USD43
million.
This amount is clearly inadequate
to fund the entire health sector,
which is in dire need of
equipment and infrastructure.
Health authorities have also
raised an alarm over staff
shortages because of an exodus
of healthcare workers. Nurses
take home less than US$200 a
month.
According to the Health Services
Board, 2 000 Zimbabwean
healthcare workers left the
country for countries like the
United Kingdom, United States
and Australia in 2021. Related to
this, those that providing first
aid care training are raking in
huge dividends as those
emigrating are supposed to have
certificates of this basis training.
Instead of working on improving
the working conditions of
healthcare workers and investing
in proper infrastructure,
government is attempting to,
once again, use the law to
suppress the rights of health
professionals.
Through the Health Services
Amendment Bill, government
seeks to criminalise health
workers who speak out or
protest against poor wages and
working conditions.
If passed into law, the Bill is
likely to create an unconducive
work environment which could
trigger mass resignations as
health professionals leave for
greener pastures where their
services get the due
remuneration.
Government should simply do
the logical thing of withdrawing
the Bill and work towards
improving the remuneration of
health workers.
Healthcare workers have rights
which the employer must
recognise as is guaranteed in
section 65 of the Constitution.
It should not end there as there
should be massive investment in
new and existing health care
facilities.