by Tawanda Musariri

Zimbabwe is set to attain global health standards where even the poor can get access to world class quality service.

This ambitious project came under discussion during the 8th annual Zim Afro Medical and Health Expo bringing stakeholders in the health services profession together, brainstorming ideas necessary to improve their industry.

Minister for Health and Childcare, Dr Obadiah Moyo and his deputy Dr Mangwiro attended the Expo.

The Expo is a brainchild of the late Dr Timothy Stamps and it’s in its 8th year running.

Officially opening the expo, Dr Moyo commended the gathered stakeholders for their interests in improving healthcare so as to stop the exportation of patients to mainly India, South Africa and Singapore as well as exporting medical personnel due to lack of global standard medical technologies and working conditions.

"Our Government remains committed to creating an enabling environment for work and participation of all stakeholders as evidenced by our support for private sector players and in particular support for ZimAfro.

"I want to applaud the efforts of the late Health Advisor Dr Timothy Stamps for the support he has given to this event over the years which has become Zimbabwe's biggest premier and medical healthcare tradeshow.

"My ministry will try by all means to support this event from where the late Health Advisor left in creating a platform that brings together players in the health sector," said Dr Moyo.

Harare Central Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Dr Nyasha Masuka bemoaned the highly priced health service fees saying in Zimbabwe, a medical procedure costs as much as tenfold the cost one would meet in India. He said the costs of producing service which include labour, electricity, fuel, rent and water was highly overpriced thus leading to the astronomical prices asked for by the health industry in Zimbabwe. He also said corruption was another factor contributing to the pricey healthcare, much to the disadvantage of the poor.

He encouraged stakeholders to continue dialoguing with a view to bringing together all variables necessary to reduce the cost of healthcare in Zimbabwe.

Dr Masuka has, prior to his new posting to Harare Dental Hospital, been Provincial Medical  Director for Matabeleland South Province, a position he held for seven years.

During his opening address, Dr Moyo appreciated all the help that came from private players in the fight against cholera.

The ZimAfro Medical and Health Expo funded research reported that up to 90% of Zimbabweans do not have any form of medical insurance. Because of this, the average Zimbabwean has to dip his pockets when confronted with a healthcare problem. Resultantly, this crisis management reaction sees the majority failing to afford sufficient requirements demanded by diseases afflicting them. This mode of healthcare consumption comes at the background of lowly $102 national per capita health expenditure.

Responding to these uninspiring statistics, the MoHCC launched the National Integrated Healthcare Financing Strategy which seeks to provide universal health insurance to Zimbabwean citizens.

In line with the above desire, Government has since scrapped all user fees for expecting mothers at all public hospitals so that the poor may not be excluded from accessing service. This is a deliberate drive towards reducing maternal mortality driven by out-of- hospital deliveries.