Category: Press Statements

Concerns over amendments to the Health Services Act.

Eric Salwin

Credit : Newsday THERE are fears that the recently signed Health Service Amendment Act could trample on the rights of health workers. Speaking to NewsDay, Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike  said the Act is neither democratic nor consultative. He said workers in the public health sector  are now disadvantaged in several ways, since now they cannot strike and bargain collectively. “It is unfortunate that health workers are caught in the middle of a system that is slow to respond to their needs and ethical pressures not…

Read More

2023 Health Budget insufficient

Eric Salwin

HEALTH experts yesterday said Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s $473,8 billion budget allocation towards the provision of health care services was grossly inadequate to fund the sector’s critical needs. Ncube announced a $4,5 trillion budget on Thursday with 11% going towards health. Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike said the health sector remains grossly underfunded. “The health budget remains grossly inadequate to fund the critical needs in the health sector,” Rusike said. “The current health financing model remains unsustainable as it heavily relies on external financing as well…

Read More

Brief Post Budget Analysis 2023 CWGH

Eric Salwin

  The 2023 Health Budget allocation of only 11% has remained largely uninspiring given that it has not addressed the critical issues that we raised in our Pre-Budget position paper. It falls far short of the Abuja Declaration Target of 15%. Unfortunately the health budget remains grossly inadequate to address the critical needs in the health sector such as the current exodus of health workers, drug shortages, inadequate ambulances, and obsolete equipment. The inadequate public financing of the health sector has resulted in an overreliance on out-of-pocket and external financing…

Read More

CWGH Press Statement for World Pneumonia Day – 12 November 2022 – Harare, Zimbabwe

Eric Salwin

Theme: Fighting Pneumonia an Agenda for Action Zimbabwe successfully implemented Primary Health Care since its independence in 1980. As a result, impactful programmes with a deliberate focus on maternal and child health greatly improved health indicators for mothers and children up to 2000. Slackening of this momentum was caused by several challenges; notably the structural adjustment programmes of the 1980’s, the HIV and AIDS pandemic, sustained under funding for health, (below the 15% Abuja target of government budget to health), management and governance problems, all resulting in marked decline in…

Read More

Measles outbreak looms in schools

Eric Salwin

THE reopening of schools amid a major measles outbreak countrywide might expose learners who are not vaccinated as Zimbabwe battles to control the disease, health experts have warned. Statistics from the Health and Child Care ministry show that 153 new cases were recorded on Tuesday while fatalities climbed to 698 from 685. Cumulative and active cases are now at 6 444 and 4 580, respectively. Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enock Dongo expressed fear that schools might be super-spreaders of the medieval disease if pupils are not vaccinated. “There is no…

Read More

Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) Position Paper on the 2023 National Health Budget

Eric Salwin
Prof Mthuli

Key Sector Priorities and Considerations  Raising domestic public funds is essential for universal health coverage (UHC). No country has made significant progress toward UHC without increasing reliance on public revenues. Therefore, domestic tax systems that are essential to support country’s fiscal space expansion are central to the UHC agenda.  Ensure the allocation of at least 15% of the National Budget to health care in line with the Abuja Declaration target. Importantly, the Government must implement the Health Financing Policy and Strategy.  Prioritise primary health care for the…

Read More

Addressing vaccine hesitancy: need to urgently tackle myths, misinformation

clarency

ZIMBAMBWE needs to urgently address the Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy that is discouraging ordinary people from taking up the life-saving jabs at a time the number of people dying from the contagious disease continues to surge on a daily basis. The number of people dying daily, about a 100 a day, is horrific and must be stopped forthwith through proactive measures by government, communities and other able stakeholders. The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) is worried that people continue to die because they are reluctant to receive the free inoculations…

Read More

Government should urgently provide suitable and adequate PPE to frontline health workers

clarency

The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) is gravely concerned by the current  massive shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for frontline health workers  in the country in the wake of the infectious COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc  globally. Healthcare workers rely on PPE to protect themselves and their patients from  being infected and infecting others during their course of duty.   Surprisingly, the shortages come at a time when our COVID-19 cases are escalating due  to the deadly second wave of transmission, spike in mortality rates and the threat…

Read More