Zim healthcare ‘nearly collapsed’

An emergency tray at a public hospital in Zimbabwe stands empty as medical supplies have run out – one example of why President Robert Mugabe’s brief appointment as World Health Organisation (WHO) “goodwill ambassador” provoked such outrage.

Under his rule, life expectancy in Zimbabwe dived from 61 in 1985 to 44 in 2002, before recovering to 60 today, due largely to international aid.

The major causes of the health crisis are the collapse of healthcare, falling standards of living as the economy has crumbled and the struggle to tackle HIV-Aids, experts say. At the large public hospital near the capital Harare, doctors say syringes, surgical gloves and basic painkillers are all in short supply day-to-day. They requested the hospital’s name was not used to avoid repercussions from government officials.

Last week, a medical team at the facility was forced to delay a caesarean section because there was no running water for doctors and nurses to wash before surgery. Such realities meant that Mugabe’s appointment last week as “goodwill ambassador” for the WHO for noncommunicable diseases in Africa was greeted with disbelief and anger.

As criticism spread globally, the nomination was rescinded.

But Zimbabweans were shocked at the UN agency’s apparent ignorance about life under Mugabe. Edgar Munatsi, president of the Hospital Doctors’ Association, described public medical facilities in the country as “nearly collapsed”.

“If you knew these hospitals more than 10 years ago, you wouldn’t believe the extent of the dilapidation.” –