Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s health sector has been undoubtedly crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic. Other existing challenges include those arising from economic performance, socioeconomic inequality, and the burden of noncommunicable diseases, infectious diseases, and health emergencies due to climate change.

Data indicates that government spending on primary health care as an indication of domestic pro-poor spending on local-level health systems and pro-poor population health interventions is very low in Zimbabwe.

Thousands of households have faced difficulties with rising food prices and falling incomes during and after the pandemic and this has led to them falling out of health services.

Zimbabwe has had many policies formulated in an effort to move towards universal health coverage and ensure that all citizens have access to quality health services that they need without suffering financial hardship. This, however, has not been the case. Universal health coverage refers to healthcare whereby all people receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship when paying for them.

The full spectrum of essential, quality health services should be covered including health promotion, prevention and treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care.

There has been a continued decline in healthcare services, even before the pandemic, this has had dire social and economic implications.

Zimbabwe's health system has been consistently financed by a mixture of funding sources.

The major domestic funding sources include those from the central government through

Zimbabwe’s healthcare system leaves a lot to be desired

budget allocation, subnational government (local authorities), households, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and private companies.

Presently, the public health sector is heavily reliant on funding from NGOs as the government struggles to ensure that medication is available at various public health facilities.

Studies have shown that women have higher medical care service utilisation and higher associated charges than men.

Women in low and middle-income countries such as Zimbabwe, do not have equal access to resources, such as education, employment, or healthcare compared to men.

In making budget allocations, the government must ensure that the budget is gender responsive and addresses the needs of women and the greater burden of care work that is placed on women in society.

The nature and level of healthcare financing is a critical elements of health systems development including how resources are mobilised, pooled, and spent, and services purchased.

While there are many measures and features of health financing, the (Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development ) Zimcodd has identified the following as key issues for equity in health financing:

a) The extent to which government prioritises health in its domestic budget spending must be in accordance with Zimbabwe’s commitment to the Abuja Declaration which committed them to allocating 15% of domestic government spending to health.

In the 2023 national budget, the health sector was allocated 10.5% of the budget, a fall from 14.9% in the previous. The level of financial protection provided must ensure that health costs do not present as catastrophic or impoverishing expenditures especially towards women.

b) Policies targeted at the health sector must employ gender mainstreaming strategies to respond more effectively to the needs of men, women, boys and girls.

c) Budget allocations towards the healthcare sector must be gender responsive.

d) The extent of government spending on primary healthcare must encompass pro-poor local level health systems and more pro-poor population health interventions in delivering services used by most lower income households.

Zimcodd

— Research and Advocacy Unit

The Standard newspaper subscribes to a Code of Conduct that promotes truthful, accurate, fair and balanced news reporting. If we do not meet these standards, register your complaints with the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe at No 34, Colenbrander Rd, Milton Park Harare. Telephone us at 04-778096 or 04778006

24 Hr Complaints line: 0772 125 659 Email: director@vmcz.co.zw or info@ vmcz.co.zw Whatsapp: 0772 125 658 Twitter: @vmcz Website: http://www.vmcz.co.zw Facebook page: vmcz Zimbabwe