HARARE – The ministry of health has snapped back at youth minister Tinoda Machakaire after he publicly drew President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s attention to what he called “serious challenges” in Zimbabwe’s public hospitals.

The ministry, in a statement on Tuesday, said Machakaire’s comments about the state of the country’s health system was “part of a broader pattern of unwarranted and mischievous attacks.”

“These comments seem to be well-orchestrated efforts aimed at selectively highlighting challenges within the public healthcare system, while deliberately overlooking the critical services still being provided—often under resource-constrained conditions—and the significant progress made in recent years,” the ministry charged.

Machakaire, writing on X, said he visited a relative at a public hospital but “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. The growing public outcry over our healthcare system is not an exaggeration; it reflects the difficult experiences of many citizens,” Machakaire said.

The minister also made a direct plea to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, writing: “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.”

The forthright comments admitting government failings by a minister surprised many, and they appear to have angered his colleague at the health ministry Douglas Mombeshora.

The health ministry said while it “recognises and respects the public’s right to express concerns—and we welcome constructive engagement from all citizens and leaders—it is vital that such discourse remains fair, balanced, and based on verified facts.”

The ministry insists the criticism is blowing the health crisis out of proportion, even as nurses this week voiced similar concerns as Machakaire.

“The ministry is open to meaningful dialogue and informed critique; however, we strongly reject narratives that unfairly undermine the tireless efforts of our healthcare professionals and ignore the notable achievements underway across the country,” the statement went on.

The Zimbabwe Nurses Association on Monday decried “dire working conditions in public health institutions.”

“There is a severe lack of medical resources, equipment and essential drugs,” the union said in a statement.

“In the absence of these tools, nurses are unfairly being blamed by the public for delays and inefficiencies. They are overburdened by improvisation leading to long queues, slow service delivery and increased suffering of patients.”

The nurses accused the government of freezing nursing jobs while hospitals are severely understaffed.

“The chronic shortage of staff is worsening the situation, with the nurse-to-patient ratio as high as 1:20 or even 1:30 in some wards,” they said. “This is unmanageable and endangers both patient care and nurse wellbeing.”

In apparent response to Machakaire’s comments, health minister Mombeshora and finance minister Mthuli Ncube on Monday toured Natpharm, the state company that supplies medicines and sundries to the country’s public hospitals.

In a statement following the visit, Natpharm said the two ministers were on a mission to “assess operational challenges affecting service delivery.”

“Their visit underscores a commitment to strengthening Zimbabwe’s healthcare supply chain,” Natpharm said.