Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke In Geneva, Switzerland
Zimbabwe is rolling out urgent interventions to stabilise operations in the country’s public health system, including accelerated procurement of medicines, early disbursement of funds and strengthened engagement with pharmaceutical suppliers.
This comes as President Mnangagwa recently secured a deal in Belarus that would see the country’s main hospitals undergoing a major uplift while pharmaceutical products from the East European country are expected in Zimbabwe soon.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora acknowledged the challenges in securing essential medicines and the fragile state of public hospitals.
“There are issues of shortages of medicine, especially in our central hospitals. That can only be addressed by having enough financial resources to cover those medicines which are in short supply. We have a list of those medicines and the procurement that is taking place has been a bit slow on our side and we want to accelerate, to get more companies to supply us with the medicines,” he said.
The Government is also engaging additional pharmaceutical companies and has secured commitments to pay two major suppliers, a move expected to boost medicine availability and cut delays in treatment.
“We also have challenges where some suppliers have taken a bit long to deliver the medicines but that is because when we put an order some of those medicines have to be manufactured. This is now why we are in talks with our Treasury to be able to release funds well in advance so that the funds are not released when the need is dire,” said Dr Mombeshora.
Beyond drug availability challenges, hospitals have been grappling with inconsistent blood supply, often forcing patients to pay out of pocket, despite blood being officially free in public institutions.
“The Ministry of Finance has provided the financial resources and we have paid the National Blood Service quite substantial amounts and there is a commitment to make monthly payments until the arrears are finished. So on that front, I think we are making headway,” said Dr Mombeshora.
He also confirmed that funding had been secured for medical oxygen, another critical supply line, to ensure uninterrupted availability in health facilities.
While treatment for priority diseases such as HIV, TB and malaria remains free, the minister warned that not all health services could be offered at no cost given the current resource constraints.
“Another challenge is that people go to our hospitals and expect to get free treatment. People must be prepared to pay for some services. Some categories do not pay but there are some areas which we have prioritised such as emergency surgeries. Although we may not have adequate anaesthetic drugs, we make sure that for emergencies they are available,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Dr Mombeshora expressed optimism that ongoing reforms and support from the Treasury would gradually eliminate challenges in the public healthcare system. “We are improving our supplies and we hope and wish we could do it at a faster pace, but we are making headway,” he said.
In Belarus, Zimbabwe secured a deal that would see the country’s major hospitals, starting with Parirenyatwa Hospital, getting an upgrade to match global standards.
The deal was part of a broader initiative that aims to modernise infrastructure, improve access to specialist care and ensure sustainable healthcare delivery.
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