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The drug shortages in Zimbabwe’s public hospitals have exposed the collapsing health delivery system but put millions of people at risk, especially the majority who cannot afford private healthcare or medical insurance.
The government is facing a serious shortage of medicines and drugs which left patients at the mercy of private health facilities.
Health and Childcare Minister Douglas Mombeshora revealed this while submitting the ongoing pre-budget seminar in the Parliament last week.
“The unavailability of medicines and drugs was depressing. Our ministry acknowledges that the country is facing a serious shortage of medicines and drugs which is culminating in a crisis, especially at the lower level, and left the patients at the mercy of private hospitals.
“We do not have enough drugs for even a month in our stores and allocations are not in line with the ministry requirements. For instance, we made a request of US$129 million for the 2023 budget, but the treasury responded by reducing the budget to US$52 million which is very low. We are appealing to the treasury to at least honour our requirements”, he said.
Patients are dying due to the non-availability of medicine and drugs ranging from lifesaving to basic generics which is straining the healthcare system.
“Our ministry is dedicated to adequately enhancing local manufacturers of drugs within the healthcare sector and we have taken important steps such as reserving a range of products specifically for local suppliers to supply”, he said.
He added, “The ministry required approximately US$ 17 million for medicine for a month. Several medical equipment is obsolete and most have exceeded their lifespan and due to financial constraints the process cannot be done once”.
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