ZIMBABWE’s healthcare system is burdened by a shortage of medical doctors, who are leaving in droves for greener pastures, affecting the delivery of health services, a government official has said.
The country’s fragile health system has been strained by the lack of healthcare professionals, who are leaving public hospitals due to a poor working environment marked by low salaries and a lack of medical supplies.
This has left marginalised communities, such as those in rural areas, without medical professionals to provide services.
Speaking in the National Assembly recently, the Deputy Minister of Health, Sleiman Kwidini, said the migration of doctors abroad has had a negative impact, particularly in rural areas.
“Right now, the challenge of us not getting doctors in these hospitals is that we are still training more doctors because doctors have left the country for greener pastures. Therefore, we are looking forward to having more doctors in 2029 to 2030 to service these rural hospitals,” said Kwidini.
This has left citizens in rural areas in a quandary, forcing them to walk long distances to access medical services.
Kwidini said this is a result of a lack of accommodation facilities at some rural clinics.
“It is true that we need doctors in rural hospitals so that elderly people do not have to travel long distances to see doctors. We have a challenge with the doctors’ houses in district hospitals. This is the challenge that we are facing, which then results in elderly people failing to find those doctors in rural hospitals.
“There is no accommodation for these doctors, but as soon as we put in place accommodation, they will be found nearer to them. For us to put doctors in clinics, it is difficult because the patient ratio is not enough,” he said.
The country’s health system is in dire straits, leaving the majority to rely on private facilities, with the poor left to contend with the public hospitals.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged to address the situation at public hospitals, with a section of Parirenyatwa Hospital undergoing renovations.
