2.2 A health sector in intensive care
On 18 June, thousands of health workers in Zimbabwe downed their tools, demanding payment
of salaries in US dollars, and this was only a day after government announced a 50 percent cost
of living adjustment and COVID-19 allowances of up to US$75.
In a letter to the Health Services Board, the workers said, “The Healthcare workers demand that
salaries revert to the 1st of October 2018 digits that were quoted in USD which is a stable
currency that can store value of that salary. In that way, pensions, savings, medical aid, funeral
policies will not continue to be eroded”.
With most healthcare workers and generally all civil servants, earning an average of ZWL3,500,
it means they cannot afford the basics with their salaries, which are being eroded by
hyperinflation.
Government does not seem to move from its position that it is going to pay US$75 and the
Zimbabwe dollar salary, and what this deadlock means is that the health sector, which is already
struggling due to the unavailability of essential medical supplies, has gone into intensive care.
ZPP witnessed and recorded dire situations, where for example in Mashonaland East, some local
clinics were turning away patients with nurses citing incapacitation.
In some cases, nurses were reportedly not attending to patients or not showing up for work.
Government is doing little to address and ensure that people’s health rights are not violated. The
US$75 allowances were also not disbursed but rather converted at the interbank rate, making
situation even more dire.
In addition to the problems in the health sector, the statistics of Covid-19 took a gradual increase
throughout the month, with many of them being attributed to returnees from neighbouring
countries. Reports of inadequate facilities at quarantine centres continued to dominate, exposing
government’s inability to deal with the situation, and leaving the country at greater risk of even
more transmissions. As at 30 June 2020, the cases had topped 500 and continued to go up.
2.2.1 A brief price check
Prices of basic commodities continued to increase in Harare province during the stateimposed lockdown.
A survey conducted on 16 June 2020 in Highfields at OK and at Pick n Pay supermarkets,
Machipisa showed that the prices of basic goods had increased by 2% from the previous
week. At OK supermarket, salt, which had been below ZWL 50.00 increased to ZWL 57.99
for 500grams.
At Pick n Pay, super refined mealie meal costing ZWL 280 increased to ZWL 384.99, Rice
which was charged at ZWL 115 for a 2kg packet increased to ZWL 199.99 at OK shops and
ZWL 179.99 at Pick n Pay. Reports also confirm that cooking oil was withdrawn from
shelves at Pick n Pay but the previous day the product was seen on display.
In the last survey, carried out on 25 June prices of basic commodities had increased again.
At OK Marimba and at Belvedere Trading Centre, the price of bread formally increased by
2% from ZWL 68.00 to ZWL 90.00 for Bakers Inn (family loaf) while the usual loaf was
priced at ZWL 70.00.
So, in June, the country experienced three waves of price increases.
REPORT HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS TO
+263 77 488 3406
+263 77 488 3417