Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth Tinoda Machakaire has asked President Emmerson Mnangagwa to visit the public health institutions to see what people are going through.
A lot of alarm has been raised over the state of public health services in Zimbabwe. Often people have to source their own medicines, treatment materials, sometimes to the most basic.
Earlier this year nurses at the Sally Mugabe Hospital in Harare went on strike because they did not have access to basics such as gloves and pain killers.
Now Machakaire has seen this for himself.
He said, “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. The growing public outcry over our healthcare system is not an exaggeration; it reflects the difficult experiences of many citizens.”
And then to Mnangagwa he then asked, “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.”
Many activists have spoken out loudly over the status of public health services even as the government has sometimes dismissed them.
But Machakaire has some good words for those who have been pointing out the failures.
“I also wish to commend those who have had the courage to raise their voices on matters of public interest,” he said. “Their advocacy reflects a belief in the kind of leadership you represent—a leadership that listens, acts and puts people first.”
Interesting times ahead.
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