Zim's Health Sector 'Bleeding' US$500 Million Every Year

Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube said that Zimbabwe is losing as much as US$500 million every year as a result of patients seeking treatment outside the country.

Minister Ncube was speaking at a luncheon with editors in Harare on Wednesday, at a time when doctors on strike citing poor remuneration and working conditions. He said:

… we have noticed that we are losing more than US$500 million annually with referrals outside. The whole industry around referrals is losing money.

On Tuesday, the government fired 77 doctors and on Friday the Health Services Board (HSB) announced that 211 doctors had been dismissed for being absent from work without leave.

Zimbabwe’s doctors are among the lowest-paid on this planet, with public hospitals running without essential drugs and, in some cases, even basic painkiller and latex gloves.

More: The Independent