Unhealthy Zimbabwe Exposes Wrong Priorities Of The Inclusive Government

More than six months after the inauguration of the Inclusive Government of Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe faces a continuing health risk. The collapse of sewage and water infrastructure all across Zimbabwe has led to international organisations warning that the cholera epidemic could return with a vengeance with the onset of the summer rains.

Meantime, doctors and nurses downed tools and demanded proper salaries and an end to unnecessary delays in the payment of supplements from donors. Their anger is understandable against the backdrop of a government that is living extravagantly, unwilling to share in the suffering of its own people, let alone its employees. Harare Hospital, which is in dire straits, looks on while the government spends US$11 million on foreign travel, while ministers are allocated three cars each. All this luxurious living is noticed by the struggling health professionals. It is, besides anything else, a truly de-motivating experience for them.

The United Nations estimates that 6 million people in Zimbabwe (over half our population) have no access to clean and safe water, making the spectre of cholera a clear and present danger. Added to this, all health experts agree that, with rubbish still piled high in our streets, the sewage system broken down in our towns and cities, the advent of the rainy season will certainly see the return of cholera.  

We are also woefully unprepared for the Swine Flu, with cases having now been reported in Mutare. Fatalities from this ailment will only be because the health officials in this country, overstretched and de-motivated, have not been equipped by the Inclusive Government to deal with this threat. We are particularly incensed that this neglect of a vital area comes at a time when the Inclusive government sees it fit to spend money on cars and travel, running into tens of millions of US dollars, looking only after their comfort while the people who elected them into office die like flies all over the country. It is a shocking state of affairs that the government is not paying enough attention to this most critical of areas, for without a healthy population, without a truly motivated health staff, this country can never hope to even start on the journey to recovery.

60% of posts in our health institutions remain vacant, while doctors and nurses who have fled the country for greener pastures remain reticent about coming back to Zimbabwe. Their reluctance is based not only on the poverty wages being paid to those who remained behind. Their working conditions are poor, and in some places horrendous. Doctors tell horror stories of continuing drug shortages despite the best efforts of the NGO community. They tell stories of inadequate and sometimes downright dangerous working conditions. The minister who is supposed to hear them out, an MDC minister, has kicked them out of his office. He says he only deals with “policy” and not operational details. For daring to demand better health facilities and better conditions of service, they are fired!

Without an optimally functioning health delivery system, the recovery of this country will remain a mirage, a distant wish. The Inclusive government has failed to come up with such a proposal, instead prioritising its own comfort and needs.

Mavambo Kusile Dawn stands ready with a realistic plan for tackling this health emergency. More than 4000 people have died of cholera. The death toll over the past few years is frightening, with thousands of deaths which could have been avoided if the medical system was effective. At the core of our emergency intervention plan is the need to ensure that Zimbabwe becomes a competitive health sector employer worldwide. Instead of persecuting and harassing doctors, we advocate engagement, meaningful and timed. We advocate speedily addressing the concerns of the health professionals so that Zimbabwe can once again take its place as one of the most enviable countries in Africa on the heath care front. Dialogue with those who do the work is essential if the health system is to improve. Arrogant refusal to discuss with the doctors and nurses will lead nowhere. Instead of spending tens of millions of dollars on cars, travel and other luxury items, let us spend it on drugs and the maintenance of essential medical machinery and equipment.

We call on the Inclusive government to put its own greed last and instead start addressing such issues as these if it is serious about an economic turnaround and improving the quality of life for Zimbabweans.