THE Health and Child Care ministry has admitted that high
hospital fees have negatively impacted on Zimbabweans as most of them have now
turned to self-medicating.
This comes as government last month reviewed hospital fees
that saw Harare Central Hospital and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals raise the
caesarean section to $2 500, a figure which is beyond the reach of many in the
country whose salaries continue to be eroded by rising inflation.
Health and Child Care ministry’s donor liason officer,
Gwati Gwati, during a Global Financing Facility meeting in Harare, however,
recently acknowledged that the high fees were blocking Zimbabweans from seeking
medical attention.
“People are no longer seeking care. There are now less
people coming to hospitals. Health seeking behaviours in Zimbabwe have been
compromised. Zimbabweans are not seeking care because they cannot afford,”
Gwati said.
Recently, the 2019 Mini Poverty, Income, Consumption and
Expenditure Survey also revealed that worsening poverty levels have, in the
last three years, led to a decrease in the number of people who seek medical
attention when they fall sick.
World Bank economist Rob Swinkels said health seeking
behaviours have declined both in urban and rural areas due to serious poverty. Daily
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