'Parliament Should Pass Laws Banning Politicians From Visiting Hospitals Abroad'

African Council of Optometry president-elect Richard Maveneka said that Parliament should pass laws that prohibit government officials from seeking medical treatment abroad.

His remarks come as the country’s political elites routinely fly out of the country for medical care while local hospitals are dilapidated and lacking the most basic drugs. Said Maveneka:

Parliament should pass laws that prohibit our leaders from seeking medical attention from outside Zimbabwe.

They must be forced at law to get treated in government hospitals. This will ensure the development of medical facilities and priority in terms of budgets and procurement of basic tools of the trade.

An opposition party leader, Noah Mayika of the Build Zimbabwe Alliance said that government officials lie too much. Said Manyika:

The other tragedy of our country is that we often are pacified by announcements like this.

This minister either had no clue about the state of the hospitals or simply did not care, believing that the doctors were too afraid to expose the rot.

The issue here is: Why were these drugs not budgeted for in the first place? We have heard the boasts about surpluses from the 2% tax.

Why wasn’t the minister publicly demanding that some of that go to his ministry to stop children from dying needlessly?
Besides, anyone who knows the scale of the problems in our healthcare system knows that $1 million is a drop in the ocean.

Related:

• Senior Doctors Accuse Govt Of Lying On Drugs Availability

More: Newsday