Former Studio 263 actor Tinopona “Tintin” Katsande has issued a stark warning about the dire state of Zimbabwe’s public healthcare system, describing the ongoing crisis as a “silent genocide” caused by the severe shortage of essential medications.
In a heartfelt post on her Facebook page on Sunday, Katsande expressed her concern over the increasing number of deaths in government hospitals, attributing them to the inability of many patients to afford the necessary treatments. She wrote:
IF YOU DON’T HAVE MONEY TO BUY YOUR OWN MEDICATION AT GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS, even down to the actual needle for injections at some hospitals, 9 out of 10 times, you die because you didn’t get help, NOT BECAUSE ‘GOD WILLED IT’.
Our family members, colleagues, and even enemies are dying without a second thought…
There are no medicines, no beds, and hospital staff provide conflicting or inadequate information or diagnoses about patients (causing confusion even among themselves because they are clueless).
They don’t know how to tell a desperate patient, ‘We know what needs to be done, but sorry, we can’t help because we don’t have the resources to save you.’
Basically, people are being discharged to fend for themselves… No, this is unacceptable. This is not how things should be.
She raised further alarm over the dire state of Zimbabwe’s public healthcare system, recounting distressing personal accounts of medical negligence that have claimed lives.
Katsande shared a heart-wrenching story from just days ago, when a baby who had allegedly been discharged from Parirenyatwa Hospital tragically passed away.
She attributed the death to what she described as sheer negligence by the medical staff, coupled with confusion on the part of the doctors and nurses.
In a separate incident, Katsande revealed that a 16-year-old Lower Sixth student from Mutoko died from an asthma attack after the hospital, in a shocking lapse, had no oxygen, no nebuliser, and not even the basic asthma inhaler that is readily available in most pharmacies.
Katsande also took aim at the state-controlled media, mocking recent reports claiming that Zimbabwe now has a six-month supply of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). She said:
Ukuwo ma newspaper anoti don’t worry 6 months supply of ARVS in the country availed, 2 months later vakuti, 2 months supply available meaning 6 months supply was a hoax???
She further alleged that some clinics have been informing HIV/AIDS patients that there are no ARVs available at all. Said Katsande:
I’m so, so angry… There’s no accountability for this NATIONAL DISASTER, which is affecting me worse than the cancer did.
Katsande said in Zimbabwe, if you fall ill and can’t afford medical treatment, you might as well start preparing your own coffin, as it’s a tragic reality for many. She added:
Anyway, I’m off to bury Mai Kandice from Mabvuku, who passed away after yesterday’s visiting hour while waiting for blood because the government hospital didn’t have the blood that could have saved her. She was anaemic and had been moving around unwell—she didn’t know.
She concluded her impassioned remarks by criticising Zimbabweans for their tendency to bury their heads in the sand and remain passive in the face of their struggles, saying:
Let’s just keep saying ‘it’s tough,’ crying, looking the other way, and life goes on.
Katsande’s comments come amid growing frustration over the state of Zimbabwe’s healthcare system, where the scarcity of vital drugs, medical equipment, and basic supplies has left the majority without the necessary care to survive.
He words serve as a poignant reminder of the daily struggles faced by those relying on public healthcare, where patients are increasingly forced to rely on their own resources to access life-saving treatments.
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