Government has started engaging Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora with a view to getting assistance in the raising of funds for the health sector.
Source: Govt engages diaspora for health funding – NewsDay Zimbabwe September 23, 2016
by XOLISANI NCUBE
Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa yesterday said Zimbabweans living abroad with various expertise and resources were needed to help the under-funded health sector.
“It’s not a secret that government is facing financial challenges and we are appealing to our people in the Diaspora to chip in, in whatever form towards the revival and improvement of our health system. We are looking at human capital and medicinal assistance,” Parirenyatwa said.
“We are looking at assistance of whatever nature, be it specialised equipment such as scanners, X-rays and so on and so forth.”
He said many Zimbabweans were willing to contribute towards the development of the health sector.
“We are also looking at human resources, for example, Nust (National University of Science and Technology) has a shortage of medicine lecturers and we need such kind of people to assist,” Parirenyatwa said.
The country’s health sector has largely been supported by the donor community, notably the United States, Britain and the European Union. Donors have helped improve maternal and child health and nutrition, as well as ensuring the provision of essential medicines, vaccines and basic medical equipment.
But Parirenyatwa said over-reliance on the donor community was risky, urging Zimbabweans in the diaspora to help keep the country’s health sector afloat.
Parirenyatwa said essential drugs were still in short supply at public hospitals and clinics in urban and rural areas — largely due to under-funding and failure by many people to pay for the services.
The minister said skilled personnel who had fled the economic crisis prior to 2009 should return and help both in the private and public health sectors.
He is currently on a nationwide tour assessing the state of public health institutions.
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