by Rudo Saungweme
The new administration is prioritising the health sector.
Measures are being put in place to improve the health sector in Zimbabwe. In the old administration, hospitals and their personnel were neglected. The new administration which has people at heart is doing everything it can to improve the livelihoods of the people.
Government is prioritising revenue it collects in the rebuilding of the economy and the revamp of the health sector is also on the cards. Recently, Kwekwe hospital completed the construction of a ward which will benefit not only the people in Midlands but the nation at large.
On the other hand, Premier Services Medical Investment subsidiary, Parkview Hospital will soon be offering cardiac catheterization and orthopaedic services by year end. This development will benefit Zimbabweans as many had been flying outside the country to seek medical attention of such illnesses and only a few would afford that. Zimbabwe health sector will soon attract patients from other countries.
First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa in the first one hundred days of President Emmerson Mnangagwa in office, made surprise visits to hospitals so that she will get first-hand information on what was happening in hospitals. In the old administration hospital employees were very careless in the way they handled patients. They were only concerned with getting paid ahead of everything. The new administration had to instil the spirit of hard work within hospital employees.
First Lady, Amai Mnangagwa also advocated for the maternity fees to be abolished. Many women especially in the remote areas were giving birth in their homestead because they could not afford to pay hospital levies. This would result in death of infants and many casualties were recorded during giving birth.
Medevac Zimbabwe which is a French company is also complementing government efforts to revive the health sector. Medevac Zimbabwe Chief Executive, St John Smallbones said the healthcare initiative was in response to the new political dispensation`s “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra. The talks are underway with the Ministries of Health Child Care and Transport and Infrastructural Development on operationalising the project.
The government also reviewed the salaries of doctors and nurses so as to motivate them to work. The allowances which include, standby, medical and night duty allowances were also reviewed in a bid to improve the operations of the health workers.
The new administration has also scrapped fees for blood so as to help pregnant women and also those injured in road accidents who need blood the most. This has been achieved through the introduction of Health Levy Fund in which 5 cents from a dollar worth of airtime is channelled towards the fund. From the 1st of July 2018 blood will be free.
The new administration is mobilising funds so that more clinics and hospitals are built. The reengagement of the new administration of the international community and other global partners to work with our health sector will change the Zimbabwean health sector for the better.
