By Gaylord Munemo
The Zimbabwean healthcare system is beset by multifaceted challenges, precipitating a pronounced deterioration in the quality and accessibility of healthcare services.
The confluence of infrastructural deficits, human resource constraints, and financial impediments has resulted in a precarious healthcare environment.
The healthcare system is in a critical state, characterised by inadequate pain management, makeshift treatment, and substandard infrastructure.
Of late, we have witnessed first-hand patients enduring excruciating pain to death without access to essential analgesics for managing pain, while others receive inadequate care for injuries, such as broken limbs wrapped with improvised cardboard splints.
Furthermore, the prevalence of patients lying on bare floors or rusty beds with worn-out mattresses underscores the dire need for improved healthcare infrastructure.
The alarming situation is exacerbated by a perceived lack of urgency or effective response to address these systemic issues, precipitating a state of emergency in the healthcare sector.
The scarcity of essential medical supplies, including pharmaceuticals, consumables, and equipment, has resulted in the suspension of critical services, such as critical surgical procedures at Mpilo Hospital.
The dialysis machine shortage at Parirenyatwa Hospital has severely impacted the care of patients with end-stage renal disease, necessitating urgent intervention.
The healthcare system’s inability to provide quality care has led to increased morbidity and mortality, perpetuating health inequities and compromising the overall well-being of the population.
There is also a need to implement task-shifting and task-sharing strategies to optimise the utilisation of available healthcare personnel and invest in healthcare worker training and retention programs to mitigate brain drain.
The government should upgrade healthcare facilities, ensuring adequate infrastructure, equipment, and supplies.
The government should increase healthcare funding to meet the Abuja Declaration’s 15% threshold, prioritising essential services, infrastructure development, and human resource capacity building. Zimbabwe’s healthcare system has been underfunded, with the government allocating significantly less than the recommended 15% of its national budget to healthcare.
In 2023, the health and childcare ministry received only 11% of the national budget, and this allocation further decreased to 9% in 2024.
Zimbabwe’s rich mineral endowment, including platinum, diamonds, gold, and chrome, generates significant revenue, with the mining sector contributing around 15% to 20% of GDP and $2 billion to $3 billion annually.
However, despite this wealth, Zimbabwe’s healthcare system is severely underfunded, with an estimated annual funding gap of $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion.
The government allocates only around 7% to 11% of its national budget to healthcare, far below the Abuja Declaration’s recommended 15%.
In 2023, Zimbabwe’s health budget was approximately $300 million, a fraction of the estimated need. The lack of prioritisation of healthcare funding is attributed to various factors, including corruption, mismanagement, and competing priorities, resulting in a healthcare system plagued by shortages of medical supplies, equipment, and personnel, with dire consequences for the population’s health and well-being.
Zimbabwe’s health sector is experiencing significant morbidity due to systemic issues, including corrupt public procurement practices leading to stockouts of essential medicines, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and decreased confidence in the healthcare system.
The lack of governance and accountability has put Zimbabwe’s healthcare system on the verge of collapse, resulting in suboptimal health outcomes, increased mortality rates, and compromised healthcare delivery, ultimately exacerbating health inequities and poor population health.
Insufficient budgetary allocations and failure to implement effective health system reforms have further perpetuated this cycle, underscoring the need for strengthened health system governance and accountability mechanisms.
Gaylord Munemo is an Emergency Response Specialist
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