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CWGH
statement on National Health and Safety day
Community
Working Group on Health (CWGH)
June 07, 2005
The Community
Working Group on Health will this year commemorate June 6th
National Health and Safety day under the theme "Organising
People’s power for health",
we do
this in solidarity with the Trade Unions of Zimbabwe. The Community
Working Group on Health is a network of 30 membership based civic/community
based organisations that aim to collectively enhance health and
community participation in health in Zimbabwe.
On June 6th
we commemorate those lost to accidents and injury at work. Today
we add thousands more lost to diseases that could have been prevented
like AIDS, TB, Malaria and Cholera. The industry and commerce of
the country has been adversely affected by the AIDS pandemic were
the disease has claimed lives of most people in the productive sector.
How many more have now died due to unavailability of drugs, or because
they could not afford hospital services? The death rate is rising
dramatically and more mothers die in pregnancy and childbirth than
ten years ago.
June 6th
should be a nationally recognised day marked as a National event
of the Government, the Trade Unions, Employers and the rest of the
Zimbabwean community.
What is causing
the decline? The AIDS pandemic is a major cause. More and more people
are also unhealthy because they are poor. People are also unhealthy
because their living conditions are miserable, they cannot get or
afford decent quality health services and the situation is exacerbated
by the prevailing economic conditions.
Poor people
depend on public health services and cannot afford private services.
Yet the cost of health services in these institutions has also gone
beyond the reach of many, with impact being felt seriously in Maternity.
People have a role to play in health being a major stakeholder in
the promotion of Primary Health Care at community level. However,
government has the first responsibility to make sure that public
funds are allocated and spent on services that communities need,
and also support and recognise the importance of their input and
decisions in matters of significance to their health.
The way the
government Health budget is structured also does not reflect the
needs of the population, or even the policy priorities of the Ministry
of Health. The low-income population can no longer afford to get
ill, because they cannot afford expensive curative services. With
so many diseases that can be prevented, a reasonable share of funds
should go to preventing disease (Primary Health Care), such as through
building safe water supplies and sanitation, immunising children,
antenatal care, malaria prevention, family planning and so on. There
is need therefore for major focus on preventive strategies and outreach
programmes.
Falling government
expenditure has adversely affected the lower levels of the Health
system, the Clinics. Clinics have the worst level of drug supplies
and staff availability. The funds that can and should be tapped
for community and Clinic health activities only trickle to the lowest
levels of the Health system. The AIDS Levy fund has collected billions
of dollars, but the funds in some areas have not reached the intended
beneficiary.
The CWGH has
surveyed its membership and collected strong feedback that people
want more investment in prevention, in making essential drugs available,
in staffing clinics and District Hospitals and in ambulance services.
Community Home Based Care Volunteers, Village Health Workers, Environmental
Health Technicians, Community Nurses, Clinic Nurses, District Medical
Practitioners and the greater community are vital for the better
performance of the Health system. There should be adequate resources
to support the working and living conditions of staff, and also
for the promotion of community participation and support of community
initiatives and input into the Health sector.
Greater transparency
is needed around the AIDS Levy funds. The public needs to know how
much has been collected, where the funds have gone to, who is involved
in the distribution and administration of funds at all levels and
who has benefited from the funds. 75% of the AIDS Levy should go
to the Districts through democratic and effective DAAC and WAAC
committees. The National Aids Council Board should follow up, monitor
and evaluate the use of funds at District level, to ensure that
the funds reach the intended beneficiary at community level.
The CWGH is
advocating for formal recognition and strengthening of civic and
community participation in the health delivery system, in Hospital
Boards and Health Centre Committees, with training and information
support to enable people to play a stronger role in managing and
monitoring their services.
The CWGH expresses
its solidarity with the Trade Unions and the workers in formal,
informal, rural, urban and domestic employment in Zimbabwe. Many
work under harsh conditions, and live under even worse conditions.
The day commemorates the biggest work related accident at Wankie
Colliery Company in 1972 when 427 workers were killed. 30 years
later another work related accident at Millennium Towers in Harare
confirmed that workers suffer the risk of inadequate Health and
Safety protection at work.
"Creating
and sustaining a culture of health and safety through total participation"
Visit the CWGH
fact sheet
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