MPs clash over health system state of emergency

Published: 2 hours ago

A heated debate broke out in the National Assembly last week after outspoken Chiredzi Central MP Ropafadzo Makumire tabled a motion urging government to declare Zimbabwe's public health system a state of emergency.

Makumire cited collapsing infrastructure, crippling shortages of medicines and equipment, frequent power and water cuts, and a spike in preventable deaths, particularly during childbirth. He argued that the constitutional right to healthcare, guaranteed under Section 76, had become a privilege accessible only to a few.

The MP alleged that more than 250 preventable deaths were recorded at major referral hospitals in 2024 due to lack of drugs, oxygen, surgical supplies, and clean water.

"At Parirenyatwa Hospital and elsewhere, patients are routinely asked to bring their own painkillers, cotton wool, and surgical gloves. This highlights the depth of underfunding," he said. "Patients often sleep on the floor due to lack of beds, and kitchens frequently run out of food. Facilities are crumbling, with peeling paint, leaking roofs, broken windows, and outdated equipment."

Makumire singled out Chiredzi General Hospital, where he said expectant mothers were sleeping on the floor and surgical patients were either referred to private institutions or left untreated. He described the crisis as the product of "systematic neglect, underinvestment, and misplaced priorities."

His motion drew fierce pushback from ZANU-PF benches. Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi dismissed the claims as false and "demonizing the country."

"Mr Speaker Sir, we cannot allow the gentleman to continue lying. If you go to Parirenyatwa today, you will see doctors and nurses providing health services. Our hospitals are being renovated and new ones built. Yes, we have problems, but not collapse," said Togarepi.

Other ruling party MPs, including Shamva South's Joseph Mapiki and Bindura South's Toendepi Remigious Matangira, rallied behind Togarepi. They praised President Emmerson Mnangagwa's hospital visits and refurbishment programmes, while blaming local councils, sanctions, and mismanagement for persisting challenges.

Opposition MPs strongly backed the motion. Warren Park's Shakespear Hamauswa argued that the President's own hospital tours were proof of the crisis, while Norton MP Richard Tsvangirai highlighted the lack of dialysis and diagnostic machines in district hospitals, forcing patients to travel long distances at great cost.

Mashonaland West PR MP Mutsa Francisca Murombedzi accused Treasury of violating the Constitution by withholding budgeted health funds, stressing that healthcare is a right, not a privilege for the wealthy.

The debate laid bare sharp divisions over the state of Zimbabwe's public health sector. While the opposition continues to demand urgent emergency intervention, the ruling party insists reforms are underway and rejects claims of collapse.
- TellZim

Tags: Health,