By Staff Writer
THE plans to construct a new Very Very Important Persons (VVIP) private hospital will not serve much purpose except to escalate the inequalities between the rich and the poor in healthcare provision services, Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) has observed.
The remarks come against a background where the Health Services Amendment Bill has been tabled before alignment in a bid to strengthen the health sector’s delivery systems
But in an analysis this week, ZIMCODD criticized plans to construct a VVIP hospital saying it is an unnecessary measure which will fuel inequalities.
“The construction of the VVIP will institutionalise health inequality, the Bill is silent on the construction of the hospital yet it is perpetuating health inequality,” the CSO said.
Despite the outbursts, last year, finance minister Mthuli Ncube revealed that about 12 million rands had been spent on the project at the Manyame VVIP military facility.
This is despite the fact that several public health institutions in the country are operating below capacity due to crippling shortages of machinery and equipment.
ZIMCODD also raised concerns over collective job action parameters which deter the sector’s employees from staging demonstrations.
“They undermine employee moral by violating their right to strike. Rather than addressing the real underlining challenges that are creating a fecund ground for job action, the government is making efforts to infringe the rights of health personnel.
“This is against social and economic rights as prescribed in second generation rights,” the coalition said.
It was also noted that the Bill does not address the challenges that are militating against inclusive and optimum health service across the country.
“One of the major weaknesses of the bill is that it does not address inclusive key health provisions such as infant mortality rate which is at 35.02% deaths per 1000 live births], at a time when Zimbabweans are still haunted by the nostalgia stillbirth of seven children in one night,” said ZIMCODD.
The coalition accused the government of using the Bill as a smoke screen of positive strides towards revamping the health sector, while in reality there is no correlation between the Bill and the services that are currently being provided. “This is because the functions of the Health Service Commission are just a replica of the Health Service Board and there is nothing new except a change of name. A change of name should neither be confused to favorable working conditions or optimum service delivery as this fits well under the popular old adage new wine in old bottles,” said ZIMCODD
