Zimbabwe's budget falls short of Abuja health target funding

Published: 14 hours ago

Zimbabwe's 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review has again revealed the country's continued failure to meet the Abuja Declaration commitment of allocating at least 15% of the national budget to health, despite a modest rise in the sector's share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) following a rebasing exercise.

Presenting the review in Parliament, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the Ministry of Health and Child Care was allocated ZiG27.8 billion for 2025, equivalent to roughly US$1.039 billion at the official rate of US$1 to ZiG26.7654. The figure represents 10.1% of the ZiG276.4 billion national budget - 4.9 percentage points below the Abuja target.

By the end of June, the government had spent ZiG7 billion of the health budget, with 82% (ZiG5.7 billion) going to salaries and wages. The remainder covered ZiG1.1 billion in goods and services and just ZiG200 million in capital expenditure. Analysts say this wage-heavy allocation leaves little for critical needs such as medicines, diagnostics, cancer treatment equipment, and hospital upgrades.

The sector continues to depend heavily on donor funding, with US$95.8 million disbursed by development partners in the first half of 2025 for programmes targeting HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and maternal and child health. While vital, experts warn such reliance threatens the long-term sustainability of healthcare provision.

Although the rebasing exercise saw the health sector's GDP share rise from 2.1% to 2.5%, the review highlights slow progress in rehabilitating health facilities and procuring modern medical equipment. Many hospitals still rely on outdated cancer treatment machines, and infrastructure projects remain behind schedule.

Health advocates are urging government to raise the allocation to at least 15% in line with the Abuja Declaration, shift spending priorities toward medicines and infrastructure, and explore public-private partnerships to boost funding. They also stress the need to strengthen public health surveillance and emergency preparedness.

With the full 2025 budget expected later this year, stakeholders say the opportunity remains for government to move beyond policy pledges and make a decisive shift toward a more equitable, sustainable, and responsive health financing framework.
- Health Times