by Jasper Hloka
It was on the eve of 22 December 2018, when a woman in her early forties arrived at a local (Harare) hospital in the company of her husband who was visibly ailing and desperate for medical attention. Two other gentlemen who were accompanying her rushed to the situation room and returned with a doctor. All seemed to be going on well, until the time to discuss the way forward, of course punctuated by dollar signs.
It needed no rocket scientist to tell that a deadlock had been reached, when the doctor retired back to his duty room possibly to take a nap. A nurse came along and advised the gentlemen and the lady to try mission hospitals for better luck. One thing I noticed and bet my life on is that this ailing man never made it. He certainly died.
Coming closer home, to the on-going industrial action by doctors, only those with sick loved ones, bread winners or children understand the kind of predicament that characterize denial of medical attention. The role of doctors is by a small margin different from that of God, that is to heal people. One would want to believe it is a calling for one to practise as a medical doctor. It is however, unfortunate that of late the profession looks like it has been infiltrated and captured by entrepreneurs and politicians.
So bad is the situation that a doctor choses to walk away from a dying patient without even rendering first aid. If the Government met most of their demands except for the foreign currency issue, for them to keep away the hospitals is just but hypocritical if not callous.
Despite all this, a certain section is visibly not so keen to see the strike by doctors ending. This is for the obvious reasons, political mileage and amplification of the disaster narrative that Zimbabwe is allegedly going down.
This comes after some opposition political players have been going around begging for economic sanctions. We may run away from the consequences of the sanctions claiming they are targeted, but the truth be told this is economic genocide by the US.
If the US regards Zimbabwe as a pariah State, why did it build the state of the art embassy in Westgate? Instead they keep renewing the sanctions at the same time wanting to stay put in Zimbabwe.
By setting up such a solid base in Zimbabwe, it is obvious the US with its doomsayers (Kenneth Roth) are not done with inflicting suffering on Zimbabweans.
If this is kudira jecha kwacho then we are better off with the devil we know (ZANU PF) than experimenting with new leadership that is capable of arm twisting and holding the country to ransom. One lesson that one can learn from the strike by doctors is kuroya hakusi kufamba usina kupfeka uri murusero (witchcraft is not moving around naked flying on a broom), its letting someone die when assistance could have been offered to safe a life.
