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Global Journal of HUMAN-SOCIAL SCIENCE: E Economics Volume 14 Issue 7 Version 1.0 Year 2014 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Inc. (USA) Online ISSN: 2249-460x & Print ISSN: 0975-587X Poor Funding Cripples the Public Health Sector in Zimbabwe: Public Hospitals become Death Traps for Sick Patients in Great Need of Medical Help (2013 – 2014) By Dr. Silas Luthingo Rusvingo Great Zimbabwe University, Zimbabwe Abstract- The Paper seeks to investigate how poor funding has crippled the public health sector into a death trap for sick patients in great need of medical help. A short literature review will be carried out to measure the extent of the problem. Later on in the same Paper the Author will proffer a Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations to wrap up the discourse. Keywords: funding, sector, health, hospitals, zimbabwe, patients, medical help. GJHSS-E Classification : FOR Code: 149999 PoorFundingCripplesthePublicHealthSectorinZimbabwePublicHospitalsbecomeDeathTrapsforSickPatientsinGreatNeedofMedicalHelp2013-2014 Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: © 2014. Dr. Silas Luthingo Rusvingo. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Poor Funding Cripples the Public Health Sector in Zimbabwe: Public Hospitals become Death Traps for Sick Patients in Great Need of Medical Help (2013 – 2014) Dr. Silas Luthingo Rusvingo Abstract- The Paper seeks to investigate how poor funding “I cried with no shame that day because I was 2014 has crippled the public health sector into a death trap for sick hurting inside that day ” he recalled. “All I wanted to do Year patients in great need of medical help. A short literature that day was to just die. I felt I had suffered enough.” review will be carried out to measure the extent of the problem. Chinamano’s heart wrenching story resonates 19 Later on in the same Paper the Author will proffer a Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations to wrap up the discourse. with many people in Zimbabwe who confronted with Keywords: funding, sector, health, hospitals, zimbabwe, illness and the high cost of medical care in the private patients, medical help. sector are struggling to get even the most basic services through the country’s collapsed public health sector I. Introduction (Zimbabwe Irin 2014). In brief, this is the pathetic state of thepublic hospitals in Zimbabwe. From saving imbabwe: “It is all just misery, death and pain”. people’s lives they have all of a sudden become the On 08 january 2009 TongaiChinamano, 35, of country’s main death traps. Up next is how the Author Hopely Farm on the outskirts of the capital Harare Z intends to go about gathering evidence to authenticate described being HIV positive in Zimbabwe as a death poor Chinamano’s sad story. sentence. Poor Chinamano was diagnosed with Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a type of skin cancer common in II. The Short Relevant Literature people living with HIV, in June 2008. The Doctor who attended to him recommended that he immediately Review to Gather Evidence of ) begins life saving radiotherapy to treat the large painful Poor Funding for Zimbabwe’s E ( lesions on his legs but he has yet to receive any Public Health Sector Volume XIV Issue VII Version I treatment. Chinamano visited Parirenyatwa hospital – one of the country’s largest referral hospitals and the The Author ransacked both the private media only public hospital in the poor and developing country and the Internet in search of the evidence that the that offers life prolonging radiotherapy – shortly after country’s public health sector is in deed in a sorry state being diagnosed only to be told that all 18 of the because of poor funding. For the sack of business - ospital’s radiotherapy machines were broken down. He ethics which must come ahead of professional returned to the hospital every week for three months, but journalism the Author circumvented the public media for the machines were still not repaired. the simple reason that it favours to tell the people “I spent a lot of my meagre pension money on propaganda instead of the sober truth as it is on the transport to Parirenyatwa with the hope that I would ground and stated without fear, favour or prejudice. one day receive good news. The cancer is eating into This was the basis on which the evidence for the my leg bit by bit and the pain is unbearable, Paper’s literature review was carried out. Chinamano told Irin/Phis News. By October of the same year Chinamano was a) Our hospitals have become death traps (Irin Zimbabwe 2014) unable to walk without a walking stick. Desparate for Global Journal of Human Social Science treatment he went to Parirenyatwa hospital once again. The health worker strike led to the virtual closure This time he was told that although one of the machines of three hospitals in the Harare area – Harare Central, had been repaired there was no one to attend to him as Chitungwiza and Parirenyatwa, all of which have clinics the doctor’s and nurses were on strike. Poor that dispence antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and treatment Chinamano said he slumped against a tree outside the for HIV related opportunistic infections. The angry health hospital and wept uncontrollably while his wife looked workers argue that it is furtile for them to return to work just to “watch patients die ”because there are no drugs on helplessly. and essential medical equipment is not functioning Author: Accounting and Information Systems Department, Faculty of because of poor funding. Commerce.Great Zimbabwe University. e-mail: [email protected] ©2014 Global Journals Inc. (US) Poor Funding Cripples the Public Health Sector in Zimbabwe: Public Hospitals Become Death Traps for Sick Patients in Great Need of Medical Help (2013 – 2014) “As health workers we greatly symphathise with He said,the hospital was faced by a shortage of the suffering of the people but even if we opened the important drugs. hospitals in the state that they are in, we would not be “Drugs and surgical stores are all ill stocked. able to do much for them (patients)”, said President of Provisions for patients are inadequate, while cleaning the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association detergents, protection clothing and linen are in short DrAmonSiveregi. supply said Mantiziba. “Our hospitals have become death traps. All “Other challenges faced by the hospital are in we want is just to make things right, we do not enjoy theatres where only four out of 12 are fairly working. the situation”, he added. “We are very disappointed Out of 7 elevators only two are functioning. The that the paranoid government is not taking the health laundry has not been spared as most of the crisis seriously.” equipment there is obsolete”, Mantiziba said the For many Zimbabweans, getting medical infrastructure at the hospital was dilapidated and treatment now depends on having a relative who is a about US$ 15 million was urgently needed for 2014 nurse or doctor or on having enough foreign currency to renovations (Dube 2013). access treatment through the efficient private sector. “The hospital infrastructure is being affected Year Patients can expect to pay as much as US$ 200 for a due to leaking roofs. The financial situation is equally consultation and a prescription at a private clinic, an 20 critical with the hospital basically surviving on US$ 15 amount that few people can afford in a country with 000 raised weekly”, Mantiziba said. runaway inflation which at one time peaked at 79.6 Mantiziba went on to say the hospital was billion% and 80% unemployment (Irin Zimbabwe 2014). providing compromised health care service and was not Aids activist, Sebastian Chinhare called on the in a position to handle any major disaster. The hospital Zimbabwean government to admit its failures and can accommodate 2 222 patients but currently has request financial assistance from the international donor 1770. community to rescuscitate the country’s health delivery On working capital, again, Mpilo hospital was system. also found at sixes and sevens. Below is more on the “While other African countries are rejoicing at heart stopping story on the critical shortage of working the advent of life saving ARVs and better life for their capital then adversely affecting the public hospitals. HIV positive populations, we have nothing here to celebrate”, Chinhaire told Irin/Plus News. “It is all just c) Hospital owes over US$ 2 million to service misery, death and pain”. providers (Dube 2013) Minister of Health and child Welfare, Lawrence Mantiziba said there was a critical ) shortage of manpower especially those dealing with E Honourable David Parirenyatwa said that government ( specialization services. He said out of the 41 specialist Volume XIV Issue VII Version I was doing its best ‘under the circumstances’. To underscore the gravity of the problem of consultant doctors required only 11 were available, with under funding in the public health sector in Zimbabwe the hospital not having a single radiologist. Mpilo Hospital in bulawayo is reported in dire need of “From the period January to October 2013, funding. Details on the story coming to you shortly. releases to the hospital on approved 2013 recurrent expenditure budget of US$ 1.9 million have been a - b) Mpilo hospital in dire need of funding (Dube 2013) mere US$ 576 029.00. As per the 2013 approved A serious financial crisis has forced Mpilo budget, Mpilo should have received a total of US$ 1 hospital in Bulawayo to extend its begging bowls to 416 200.00 thus resulting in deficit funding of US$ 840 school children in the city.

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