By Thandiwe Garusa
ZIMBABWE has called on African nations to prioritise sustainable health financing following recent withdrawals of donor funding across the region.
Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora said this at the ongoing 75th World Health Organisation Regional Committee for Africa meeting in Zambia.
Mombeshora, who acknowledged that Zimbabwe’s struggling healthcare system has for too long depended heavily on donor support, which made it more fragile after funding withdrawals urged long-term resilience rather than short-term dependency, saying this was key to building strong national health systems.
“Zimbabwe’s message is clear: sustainable health financing is the cornerstone of strong national health institutions.
“We must move away from dependence and toward resilience from short-term cycles to long-term stability.
“Let us work together as a region to mobilise domestic resources, innovate in our financing approaches, and deepen partnerships with the private sector.
“In doing so, Africa’s health systems will not only survive, but thrive delivering tangible results for our people,” Mombeshora said.
As a way to boost domestic health financing in Zimbabwe, Mombeshora said the nation increased its health budget allocation from 9.4% to 13% and introduced new levies on airtime, sugar, fast foods and other products.
He also added that the government is rolling out a National Health Insurance scheme to protect citizens from catastrophic medical costs.
Zimbabwe’s government has long neglected general hospitals, which now face crumbling infrastructure, medicine shortages, costly patient care and poor wages that have led to low staff morale and a massive brain drain.
Mombeshora also added that the government is strengthening primary healthcare, investing in human resources, upgrading infrastructure, and promoting community engagement.
Meanwhile, Botswana has declared a public health emergency, with President Duma Boko saying the national medical supply chain has collapsed due to depleted government coffers and steep cuts in aid from the United States.