Mugabe made a WHO goodwill ambassador

ZIMBABWEAN human rights activists have accused the World Health Organization of hypocrisy after it appointed Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador.

Mr Mugabe, who regularly flies abroad for his own medical treatment and has been accused of running his country’s health system into the ground, received the honour at a WHO conference in Uruguay on Wednesday.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, the branch of the UN responsible for healthcare, said: “I am honoured to be joined by President Mugabe, of Zimbabwe, a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide healthcare to all.” Activists say Mr Mugabe’s government has left hospitals so short of medicine that patients are often required to buy their own drugs prior to operations.

“That is absurd. It shows the lack of interest that the UN might have towards what is really going on in Zimbabwe,” said Salani Mutseyami of the campaign group Zimbabwe Vigil.