Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khuphe made the revelation in parliament on Wednesday, in response to a question raised by MDC-T legislator Lynette Karenyi.
Karenyi, who represents the Chimanimani West constituency, wanted to know when government would scrap maternity user fees, as promised last year.
In March 2012, Finance Minister Biti revealed that donors had contributed $625 million so that pregnant women would not have to pay fees of up to $100 to give birth in the country’s health facilities.
Biti then stated that the Ministry of Health would be announcing a date in which these fees will be scrapped “in the not too distant future, very soon”.
However, more than a year later most women still have to pay, with indications that so far only those women who are attended to at rural clinics are not charged.
DPM Khuphe told parliamentarians Wednesday that the delay in scrapping the fees was due to “logistical problems”.
But MP Karenyi told SW Radio Africa Friday that she was not convinced.
She said: “My understanding was that maternity user-fees had been scrapped as part of government policy. So when I heard that some women were still being asked to pay, I saw it fit to get the correct policy position on the issue.
“If government says fees have been abolished, then I expect that any pregnant woman who goes to any public hospital should be attended to in accordance with government policy.
“It is very difficult for women in rural areas to even raise $5, what happens if that woman experiences complications relating to pregnancy and has to have costly surgery performed?” the legislator said.
Karenyi said it was not explained what ‘logistical problems’ were being faced by the health ministry in disbursing the funds to all health facilities. However, she said she was expecting an answer from health authorities next Wednesday.
Health Minister Henry Madzorera told SW Radio Africa that his ministry had already rolled out the programme under the Health Transition Fund, but this was being done in phases.
“We have removed user fees completely in rural clinics, where we are giving these clinics $750 so that they do not charge maternity use fees.
“The next phase will be to remove maternity user fees at district hospitals so that when women are referred for complicated deliveries they won’t pay. So far, no problems have been reported at clinics where the scheme has started,” he said.
Dr Madzorera said it will take time to remove fees at city municipal clinics and at provincial and central hospitals. But he said his ministry, together with the World Bank, was already working on ‘a results based financing mechanism’ which will eventually lead to fees being scrapped at these health facilities by end of August.
Asked why the roll-out has been staggered, Dr Madzorera said there were budget considerations: “We started with rural clinics where the costs are lower but the need greater. Access to healthcare in rural areas is worse than in urban areas.”
The minister could not give an exact date as to when charges will be scrapped at district hospitals although he indicated that the money was already available.
“But I can confirm that we have the money to roll out the scheme to district hospitals. What we are working on now are the mechanisms and the figures.
“But it will be happening very soon, within the next two months. What we don’t have is money for the municipal, provincial, and central hospitals. We are still working on raising the funds for these,” Minister Madzorera said.
Zimbabwe has a rising maternal mortality ratio of 960 deaths for every 100,000 live births, a situation which Minister Biti last year described as ‘genocide’. – SW Radio Africa
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