Zimpapers Logo

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT has spent US$200 million in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and has scored relative successes in reducing maternal mortality and making health care accessible to all, a Cabinet minister has said.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima said this during the National Assembly’s question and answer session on Wednesday where he told legislators that the country has achieved relative successes in implementing Sustainable Development Goals.

Prof Mavima said Government last week voluntarily submitted to the United Nations Economic and Social Council a comprehensive report on work being done under SDG 17 which speaks to global partnerships.

He said Government is satisfied with the improvements that have been made in the health sector.

“Health is one area where we have done fairly well in terms of reducing mortalities for women, increasing live births, reducing infant mortality. Health is also an area that we have done fairly well in terms of the current improvement and development of health infrastructure in the country.

“You will find that if you go even deep into the country, you will realise that most of our primary health care facilities are being renovated,” he said.

“Infrastructure like water, solar, electricity is being provided for by Government and also collaborating with partners. We cannot run away from the fact that a lot of the resources that would have been reserved for health in the past two years have gone into fighting Covid-19. We have used more than US$200 million in the fight against Covid-19.”

Government has budgeted US$100 million for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines and has renovated several Covid-19 centres so that they can attend to critical patients who need to be provided with oxygen including Old Bartley Memorial Block (BMB) situated at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).

Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, the country has channelled a lot of resources towards procurement of personal protective equipment among other related materials.

He said Government has invested a lot of money in renovating health centres and isolation centres for Covid-19 and the infrastructure would be relevant even beyond the pandemic.

Prof Mavima said Government has even increased the social protection net for vulnerable citizens needing health care.

“We have even picked projects that had been abandoned like Lupane Provincial Hospital. We have seen investments taking place in many places. In addition to that – you know the Government policy to say those of a certain age like the elderly are not required to pay. Certain children up to the age of five years, depending on their social standing and the choice of the parents are also not supposed to pay,” said Prof Mavima.

“We run other social protection schemes that are related to health. For example, those who come with bills to the Department of Social Development are helped with paying of their bills. These are all issues that Government has instituted in order to improve our health delivery system.”

He said the transformation of Ekusileni Medical Centre into a specialised medical training institution to run under the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) is also part of the country’s efforts to transform the health sector.

Post Covid-19 pandemic, Government said the transformation of Ekusileni Medical Centre into a specialist medical school will enable the country to achieve medical tourism.

“The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) facility in Bulawayo called Ekusileni, we have deliberately said Government through the Ministry of Health (and Child Care) and Nust, must make it a specialist hospital and investments have already started to take place.

“Here in Harare, a high-level hospital is under construction which will take care again of the specialist needs of the country. There is a lot that is happening in the health sector and I would urge people to look into this so that they have factual information,” said Prof Mavima.-@nqotshili