InfocusNews 30 May - 03 June 2022
adults and children respectively. Intensive or coronary care will be US$16 for adults and US$10 for children. Members of the public will pay US$1,5 per kilometre for ambulance services up from $15. In response to questions Mpilo Chief Executive Officer Professor Solwayo Ngwenya said the institution had simply implemented what was written on the circular.
Hospital user fees up by 1700 percent
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imbabweans will now pay USD at prevailing rate to access health care in public facilities which constitute more than 1700% hike in hospital fees. The review is effective June and only under-fives and citizens over 65 will access healthcare free of charge from all public institutions. In a circular dated June 1 addressed to Chief Executive Officers, Provincial Medical Directors and Medical Superintendents the Ministry of Health and Child Care Permanent Secretary Air Commodore Jasper Chimedza said the changes are in line with the Auction Exchange rates. “Reference is made to the hospital user fees circular dated 19 April 2013 and the Exchange Control Exclusive Use of the Zimbabwe Dollar for Domestic Transactions Amend-
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ment Regulations, 2020 Number 3 which is the Statutory Instrument 185 of 2020,” said Dr Chimedza. “Following the release convergence of the Exchange Control Directive number 3 of 2022, in line with the convergence of the Auction Exchange rates and the interbank willing seller willing buyer exchange rate, you are being advised to implement user fees in line with the current interbank rates,” he said.
“We are implementors of government policies, not policy makers. As you can see from the directive from head office in Harare dated 1st June 2022, our finance department has issued a memorandum to implement the directive. This is coming at a critical stage where funding is needed to allow the hospital to offer service delivery to the general population,” said Prof Ngwenya.
Consultation for adults now costs US$12 up from $160 while children who were paying $480 will be expected to pay US$6.
“However, with the current economic situation many people will be unable to afford our services and we therefore would kindly ask the policy makers to reconsider the directive or reduce charges to come up with a fee structure that is affordable to the struggling masses. We should remain a compassionate, sensitive, life-saving, strategic, and pro-poor government hospital accessible to the people”.
Chronic patients will pay US$16 up from $while ward fees will be pegged at US$12 and US$8 for
In a statement the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) said the new fees struc-
Mpilo Central Hospital reviewed its prices on Tuesday and has already started implementing the circular.
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InfocusNews ture will inevitably bar access to equitable health care services by the majority of poor people that depend on the public health care system. “These user fees are not affordable to many, defeating the point of having the right to health in the constitution. The advent of the new Constitution means that the Government as the guarantor must commit to health as a human right and mobilize domestic resources to fund a health benefit that is accessible to all,” said CWGH.
The statement reiterated that health seeking behavior is dependent on a range of factors including availability and affordability of health services. “We understand that the hospitals are facing severe cash constraints, however we are concerned that the situation at present is one in which the public is not being adequately informed on what exactly to expect at hospitals and thus cannot adequately budget and plan for their visits to these services,” added CWGH.
Commenting on the issue Vuyelwa
Manase said these changes were done without consultation with stakeholders and ordinary citizens. “These costs will reduce access in an already difficult socio’ economic situation and when disease prevalence is high, poor infrastructure , quality of service etc. What happens to health rights, SDGs and Universal health Access, surely this is a recipe for disaster, “she said. “People are already struggling. The health sector is crumbling and we are likely to see more deaths than before.”
Bulawayo reintroduces 24 hour water shedding
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ulawayo residents will from Monday experience a 24-hour water shedding programme which the local authoritysays is likely to save the city some water due to increased demand. This follows reports that water supply dams are currently 58 percent full and stricter schedules may be enforced in the near future. In a statement on Monday, the local authority said the move to ration its tap water was also brought by the pending decommissioning of the Umzingwane Dam this month. “The City of Bulawayo would like to advise members of the public that due to continued deteriorating water situation in the city’s supply dams and projection of the decommissioning of the Umzingwane Dam during the month of June, a 24-hour water shedding will be implemented with effect from Monday 13, 2022,” facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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said the Town Clerk Christopher Dube. According to the proposed schedule, some suburbs will experience water cuts from 7.30 am with restoration set to be done the following day at the same time. Bulawayo draws water from Inyakuni, Insiza, Upper Ncema, Lower Ncema, Mtshabezi and Umzingwane dams as well as Nyamandlovu and Epping Forest aquifers. Bulawayo supply dam levels are at 58 percent and the water shedding programme will remind residents of the dreaded period experienced in the 2019/20 when some areas went for over five months without tap water. In 2019, BCC introduced a 24-hour water shedding programme, which it kept tightening until some areas received water once a week.
InfocusNews
Youths call for revamp of youth centres
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ouths in Mpopoma suburb have called on the Member of Parliament to allocate Constituency Development Funds towards the upliftment of youth centres and library in Mpopoma.
to have Wi-Fi available for them either at the Mpopoma Library or one of the Youth centers,” said event organizer Tatenda Kombora.
are not enough medicines, at police stations where instead of victims getting help, they are chased away,” she said. Youths also shared their own experiences about corruption.
During the MP and Youth Interaction Indaba, young people shared their concerns and highlighted how they would like to be assisted.
Kombora who is a Ward Coordinator in her ward, highlighted that young people should learn about corruption and fight it. Kombora is also part of the School of Integrity 2021 Alumni for Transparency International Zimbabwe.
“The major questions that were raised during the plenary session where on the use of the CDF funds, the use of youth centers and there was a large outcry from students
“Corruption might happen between highly influential and rich people but it always comes back to destroy the lives of ordinary people. We see it in hospitals where there
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Member of Parliament for Mpopoma Constituency Honourabke Charles Moyo attended the meeting and shared his leadership journey and encouraged young people to be involved in electoral processes such as registering to vote.
Community Voices
Effects of illegal gold panning on the community in Gwanda
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old panning has been the worst enemy of the environment for a long time in Gwanda now it has been worsened by the persistent droughts that saw a lot of people going into panning as a source of employment. Young women are still finding it difficult to participate in the country’s mining sector due to a host of challenges, chief among them corruption, societal opinions on gender roles, legal and policy restrictions. Mining is associated with various social, economic and environmental impacts of which we see Gwanda young women finds it difficult to cope and survive. These social negative impacts associated with mining including violence, child labour, escalation of gender inequalities, health and environmental effects including deforestation and pollution. By Zanele Nyathi In Gwanda there is an upsurge in the rate of domestic violence, un-
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derage sex work and teenage pregnancy, limited voice in decision making, health risks from pollution in which we see fewer women look for work instead they have to take care of their relatives who have inhaled dust in mines and suffer health problems. Mining in Gwanda has also led to high cost of living where commodity prices are always high and young women are now failing to cope hence leading to heightened socio-economic vulnerability, increased prostitution and greater exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. Gold panners have no sense of budget thus negatively affecting female headed households exposing female headed houses to desperate means of coping and opting for sex trading exposing young women to pandemics such as HIV. Sex trading is common in mining towns and Gwanda is now a hotspot. Gwanda mining town experiences high rates of violence, brutality and burglary due to
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Amabhambadzi and now young women’s security is at stake. Mining in Gwanda causes a great negative impact in the community in the sense that panning activities are mainly concentrated in rivers, disused mines and dams and this has threatened the water availability not for domestic use alone but for livestock and irrigation purposes. There is also human-animal conflict which are associated with the mining activities affecting were animals live, drink. The farmers often find their fields, farms or grazing areas taken or mined by concessions or artisanal small-scale miners. Mining itself if uncontrolled it will lead to the destruction of the both physical and scientific environment as gases associated or used in mining carry a huge harm to the environment if used inappropriately. Mining activities will also lead to the destruction of key infrastructure in Gwanda.
Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
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