Despite ongoing efforts by authorities to improve Zimbabwe’s health sector, opposition legislator Ransome Makamure has called on government to officially declare the country’s public health situation a state of emergency.
Raising the matter in Parliament on Thursday, Makamure argued that although the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to healthcare, most Zimbabweans are struggling to access even the most basic services.
He reminded the House that Section 76(4) of the Constitution obliges the State to progressively realise this right within available resources, but claimed that the current situation shows otherwise.
“I call upon government to declare the public health sector a state of emergency, particularly in areas of maternal health and chronic diseases, and to urgently mobilise both domestic and international support,” Makamure said. He further urged the Treasury to release outstanding allocations owed to the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
According to the legislator, Zimbabwe’s health system has collapsed to the point where the right to healthcare is now a privilege for the few who can afford it. He cited underfunding as a major problem, noting that the country spends under US$40 per patient annually — far below the Abuja Declaration benchmark of US$86.
Makamure said over 250 avoidable deaths were recorded at referral hospitals in 2024 due to shortages of essential medicines, oxygen, antibiotics, surgical supplies and even clean water. Patients, he added, are often forced to bring their own painkillers, gloves and cotton wool when seeking treatment.
He highlighted that equipment breakdowns at Mpilo Central Hospital had left cancer patients without care for extended periods, while overcrowding in other institutions has forced patients to sleep on floors. Poor diets, dilapidated buildings and outdated machines, he said, have reduced hospitals into “places of suffering.”
“This crisis is not only humanitarian but also a violation of the constitutional right to health and dignity,” Makamure told Parliament, quoting the late constitutional expert Alex Magaisa: “A State that cannot provide basic healthcare to its people cannot call itself sovereign.”
However, his remarks drew strong reactions from the ruling party benches. Acting Speaker reminded the MP to exercise decorum, arguing that hospitals had not completely collapsed. Zanu PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi accused Makamure of exaggerating the situation and “attacking the State.”
MDC legislator Shakespear Hamauswa rose in support of Makamure, pointing out that even President Mnangagwa had personally visited hospitals after complaints by Youth Minister Tinoda Machakaire, a sign that the health crisis was serious.
Makamure also cited Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) findings, which show that more than 75% of rural clinics lack electricity, while the national doctor-to-patient ratio stands at roughly 1:4,300.
He further criticised the poor remuneration of health workers, who earn between US$250 and US$284 a month — far less than the US$540 offered during the Government of National Unity era. The low pay and lack of incentives, he said, have forced more than 4,000 health professionals, including 2,600 nurses, to leave the country in recent years.
“Public hospitals lack cancer screening and diagnostic facilities, and patients often spend years on waiting lists. There is no clear accountability on procurement of cancer machines, nor clarity on their functionality,” he added.
Makamure concluded that the state of healthcare reflected systemic neglect, poor planning and underinvestment, all of which had deepened inequality and avoidable loss of life.
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