We have assessed the unpleasant situation on the ground at the different public hospitals around the
country and note with great concern the deteriorating situation which is now a national crisis.
It is common cause that the challenges in our health sector have over the years been exacerbated by
inadequate funding to the Ministry of Health and Child Care. The 2019 national budget is no exception, it
only allocates 8,9 percent, way below the recommended 15 percent as provided in the Abuja Declaration.
This is unacceptable and will not improve the precarious situation in the public health institutions.
Inadequate financing has over the years crippled critical hospital functions, provision of essential
medicines, availability of protective clothing for health personnel and the much-needed equipment including
leading to the mass exodus of health professionals.
The work boycott by doctors, that commenced in December 2018, is not a new phenomenon and continues
to gravely compromise access to health care for the most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe, who cannot
afford private health care. Of concern is the closure of some wards at the referral hospitals due to lack of
adequate manpower as a result of the ongoing strike. The critical situation negatively impacts on the efforts
made to contain maternal mortality, manage chronic illnesses and contain the spread of water-borne
diseases that continue to recur in the urban areas in Zimbabwe.
It is alarming that emergency services are also no longer readily accessible at some hospitals. The absence of a full complement of doctors at state-run hospitals puts a heavy burden on the nurses and other
support staff at these institutions.
Efforts by the government to engage recent inexperienced graduates from medical schools with limited
practical exposure is very dangerous and puts the lives of innocent patients at risk.
The state has an obligation to ensure that citizens’ right to health care is not compromised but
progressively realised. This calls for honest dialogue with the experienced doctors for immediate
implementation of measures to resolve the impasse.
Civil society organisations hold the Government of Zimbabwe, particularly the Ministry of Health and Child
Care and the Health Services Board responsible and liable for the depressing situation obtaining at the
state-run hospitals, the unavailability of services at these institutions and any attendant loss of life.
Therefore, Civil Society calls upon government to;
Urgently resolve and in earnest engage doctors to address the concerns raised to ensure that the
situation returns to normalcy and ensures that the majority of our citizenry is able to access quality
health care in line with the provisions of section 76 of the Constitution;
Respect and fulfill its constitutional obligations to facilitate the meaningful enjoyment of the
fundamental rights and freedoms by citizens and doctors alike;
Ensure adequate funding of the health care sector as the right to health is an empowerment right,
which if impaired, will dislocate the enjoyment of other rights and freedoms;
Finalise the review of the Health Services Act and make the Health Services Board more
accountable, efficient and independent.