HARARE – The High Court on Wednesday gave City of Harare a seven-day ultimatum to open all its 42 clinics that had closed after nurses walked out over poor salaries and a lack of virus personal protective equipment.
The order followed an application by residents including two local women who lost their babies during delivery after they failed to get prompt medical assistance.
Justice Edith Mushore said all clinics should be operational by next October 14.
Tonderai Bhatasara, a rights lawyer who represented the residents, said it was regrettable that many people lost lives after failing to get medical assistance from their most immediate medical facilities in the townships.
“The court ruled that the local authority was giving meaningless excuses and also came to a conclusion that access to health is a fundamental right provided for in the constitution. After all, people get to pay when they visit these clinics. They are not treated for free,” Bhatasara said outside court.
“People were failing to get life-saving drugs especially those on ART and TB treatment and pregnant women were losing their babies.”
Mushore also ordered that all pregnant women should receive emergency medical care.
Melody Mapani and Aurage Katumbe sued the City of Harare Harare in a lawsuit filed jointly with Combined Greater Harare Rate Payers Residents and Tenants Association.
They said the closure of municipal clinics in June was the cause of their failure to deliver healthy babies. They asked the court to issue an order directing all the clinics to be opened by October 1 this year.
City of Harare, local government minister July Moyo, health minister Constantino Chiwenga and finance minister Mthuli Ncube were the respondents.
“The conduct of the respondents is a violation of the rights of applicants and residents. The right to health is provided in section 76 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” the applicants argued.
