Zimbabwe spends much less on healthcare than it promised back in 2001. African countries agreed to give at least 15% of their yearly money to hospitals and clinics, but Zimbabwe never reached this goal. The Community Working Group on Health points out that funding rose from 10.6% in 2022 to just 11.2% in 2023. This falls way short of what leaders promised when they signed the Abuja Declaration over twenty years ago.
Public hospitals struggle because they lack basic supplies and medicines. Most patients can't access complete care unless they have HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, or pregnancy-related needs. These specific health issues receive special funding, but everything else suffers. Healthcare workers feel frustrated when they can't help sick people properly, which pushes many doctors and nurses to leave for better jobs elsewhere.
The last twenty years saw countless medical professionals exit Zimbabwe as the economy crashed. Government systems broke down during this period, and widespread corruption stole money meant for hospitals. Public health services collapsed along with the infrastructure needed to keep clinics running. Patients suffer because resources vanish before reaching the places where sick people need help.
Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora recently claimed things had improved, especially for mothers and children. He talked about better disease prevention and upgraded healthcare buildings across the country. The minister stated that his team remains committed to making quality healthcare available to all Zimbabweans. Yet the numbers tell a different story - the country still falls short of its promised health spending by nearly 4% of the national budget.
Public hospitals struggle because they lack basic supplies and medicines. Most patients can't access complete care unless they have HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, or pregnancy-related needs. These specific health issues receive special funding, but everything else suffers. Healthcare workers feel frustrated when they can't help sick people properly, which pushes many doctors and nurses to leave for better jobs elsewhere.
The last twenty years saw countless medical professionals exit Zimbabwe as the economy crashed. Government systems broke down during this period, and widespread corruption stole money meant for hospitals. Public health services collapsed along with the infrastructure needed to keep clinics running. Patients suffer because resources vanish before reaching the places where sick people need help.
Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora recently claimed things had improved, especially for mothers and children. He talked about better disease prevention and upgraded healthcare buildings across the country. The minister stated that his team remains committed to making quality healthcare available to all Zimbabweans. Yet the numbers tell a different story - the country still falls short of its promised health spending by nearly 4% of the national budget.
