HARARE – A minister has told of his shock at the state of Zimbabwe’s public health system after visiting a hospitalised relative.
Youth empowerment minister Tinoda Machakaire has pleaded with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to visit the hospitals himself, warning that “in our desire to present progress, we may unintentionally overlook important realities on the ground.”
Machakaire’s candid comments were made on X – an unusual step by a minister and a break from blanket denials that pour out of the government whenever the parlous state of Zimbabwe’s healthcare is brought up.
“I visited one of our public health institutions this morning to see a relative and left deeply concerned by the conditions I witnessed. What I saw was deeply moving—a clear indication that many of our people are facing serious challenges,” Machakaire wrote.
“The growing public outcry over our healthcare system is not an exaggeration; it reflects the difficult experiences of many citizens.”
Machakaire said as youth minister tasked to speak for young people, he felt a “solemn responsibility to speak openly.
Addressing Mnangagwa directly, Machakaire added: “Your Excellency, you have earned the admiration of this nation for your compassion, humility and tireless dedication to the welfare of ordinary citizens. Under your leadership, many have found renewed hope. It is because of this trust in your care for the people that I respectfully plead with you: please find time from your busy schedule to visit these institutions yourself. There is no substitute for seeing, listening and understanding firsthand what our citizens are going through.”
Machakaire also commended campaigners who have been demanding more funding for health, saying he hopes their “courage to raise their voices on matters of public interest” will would lead to immediate reforms that “put people first.”
Mnangagwa, his deputies and ministers religiously swerve public hospitals and receive overseas treatment at taxpayers’ expense.
The health crisis was brought home last week when the daughter of retired general Victor Chikudo Rungani revealed that her father died after failing to find a ventilator at public hospitals, including the main military hospital at Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks, formerly KG6.
The ventilator was finally found at the ZAOGA church-owned Mbuya Dorcas Hospital in Waterfalls, Harare, but doctors said it was too late, Ellen Rungani revealed.
Hospital pharmacies are empty, doctors have long complained. Patients are given lists of medical supplies to buy – including basics like pain suppressing pills – before they can be treated.
