Back to Index

Health Disaster looms in Zimbabwe
Zimonline
August 07, 2004

http://www.zimonline.co.za/downloads.asp?ID=145

HARARE - The Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) warned of a major health disaster in Zimbabwe's towns and cities and asked central government to take over health delivery services in cities and towns because the country's financially paralysed municipalities can no longer cope.

Japhet Ndabeni Ncube, who is also the Executive Mayor of Zimbabwe's second largest city of Bulawayo, said, 'We are having a problem paying salaries, buying drugs and maintaining the buildings. We have come to a situation where we cannot just cope. So the government should take over.'

UCAZ has already sent an SOS to the government about the potentially disastrous health situation in urban areas. But Ndabeni Ncube said the government was still to respond. 'They just note it down and sit on it. So we are just left hanging but we hope it is a proposal they would take seriously because issues concerning health are serious issues."

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, who is responsible for urban areas, said his ministry was still considering UCAZ's proposals. 'We will see whether they are workable,' he said.

Health, sewer and water reticulation facilities in Zimbabwe's towns have rapidly deteriorated since January this year when the government barred municipalities from hiking rates and water tariffs.

UCAZ has accused the government of imposing the ban on rate hikes in order to financially cripple and sabotage urban councils most of which are run by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. The government dismisses the
charge saying the freeze on rates and tariffs is intended to cushion hard pressed residents.

Municipal authorities say since the ban was imposed they have been unable to raise cash to run the facilities which had already been in bad shape even before the freeze on rates and tariffs.

Executive Mayor of the eastern border city of Mutare, Misheck Kagurabadza, said: 'There is a health disaster waiting to happen. Our clinics and hospitals are in a state of shame because we don't have funds. We can't even pay our workforce on time, let alone find money for drugs. Where are we supposed to get the money if we can't increase the rates?'

A doctor working for Harare city council told ZimOnline that health institutions in the capital city were virtually unable to provide service.

'We have no antibiotics. No paracetemol, bandages and just anything we need. We are struggling to feed the patients and we can't even afford to replace light bulbs,' said the doctor, who spoke on condition he was not named.

Executive Mayor of Chegutu city (about 80 kilometres west of Harare) Francis Dhlakama said 'Councils should no longer be burdened with a national responsibility especially at a time of diminishing revenue.'

The cash-strapped government is struggling to keep its barely equipped state hospitals functioning. Taking over the running urban health institutions could hasten the total collapse of Zimbabwe's health delivery system.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP