By Tonderai Guchu.
This world we live in today is littered with real and fake news.
Trying to sift between the two and coming up with an informed position is next to non existent..
Why am I saying this.? I am not sure that the news emanating from Zimbabwe is is true and verifiable.
I continue every day to have some form of interest in Zimbabwe.The more I look at it the more I realise that this is not the country I remember when I left more than a generation ago.
I did go back and as like now I failed to recognise the Zimbabwe that was in front of me. Zimbabwe had a world class health system and everything seemed to work without much effort.
It has been an open secret in Zimbabwe that health service is now divided into haves and have nots.
The current Covid 19 epidemic has brought the health of the nation into perspective yet again. The ill preparedness of the government is astounding to say but the least.
The recent demise of a prominent millionaire’s son as a result of Covid19 was played out in the open to a level where one can conclude that Zimbabwe is is not ready for the pandemic which is about to unleash itself on its impoverished masses.
If such levels of neglect could be experienced by a millionaire’s son what more of the man in the street.
Covid 19 is here and we can ignore it at our own peril.
Since the year 2000 Zimbabweans have come to accept deteriorating health services when those in power galivanted across the world in search of medical help.
Those in power in Zimbabwe had access to health services in other countries whilst simultaneously running down or ignoring the plight of their own health service in Zimbsbwe.
Even the founding president of Zimbabwe died in exile in pursuit of the medical support that he denied his own people.
At independence in 1980 Zimbabwe had one of the best health systems in Africa.There was even free health services for those who earned below 100 dollars a month.
The Mugabe government at independence increased primary health care presence which reduced demand on acute services greatly.
In the years preceding the year 2000 the health service sector was gradually eroded to a level where hospitals were no longer fit to be called as such.
There has been no progress in health care delivery over the years.The so called shefs or pigs if you have read animal farm or fat cats if you live in today’s world have all the services nicely lined up for themselves.
Right now the elite can no longer go abroad for health care treatment because of the cororona virus. No country would accept a a corona virus patient when all countries are struggling to cope.
THE ruling elite in Zimbabwe are suddenly faced with the prospect of coming face to face with Covid 19 without recourse to foreign assistance and they are running scared. They cannot utilise the very same health system that they have destroyed without a second thought over the years.
Reports emanating from Zimbabwe suggest that the Elite are now trying to resuscitate two hospitals which will obviously cater for their like in the face of Covid 19. They can no longer go abroad for medical support because no sane country would accept someone with corona virus from outside when the are battling to cope with their own tide of cases.
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The recent death of a millionaire,s son who had connections to the high echelons of power has had the elite panicking.
The money that Sakunda holdings now wants to use for state of the art Covid 19 hospital can still be used to bolster health care in the poorer and majority areas.
Zimbabweans from all walks of life should dismiss with cynicism this apparent attempt to build capacity for Covid 19 management.
The elite are simply looking after themselves. Could someone from Epworth or Highgield or Mbare be able to access these health facilities at Mt Pleasant and St Anne’s?. I doubt it.
Zimbabweans have been taken for granted for far too long by their government it is now time to say enough is enough and take patients from Mbare to Mount Pleasant.
The money being used for these two hospitals is enough to resuscitse hospitals in the townships.
But then those in the townships seem not to matter although they were at the forefront of the struggle to liberate Zimbabwe.
Such shameful and selfish act should not go unchallenged in the face of the impending disaster called Covid 19
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